Light Shine Strong
by Sheeva1331
Summary: Ten years after the vanquishing of the Kishin Asura, the meisters and their partners have tried to settle into a world and build lives of their own. A threatening, long forgotten-force wrecks the simple dream for Black Star and Tsubaki by taking away the family they've built. Through friendship and turning to each other, Black Star and Tsubaki journey to recover what they've lost.
1. Peripeteia

This will probably be the darkest story I have ever written, but this is a challenge I have made for myself. I have never written a story with this particular plot before, and I wanted to broaden my experience by trying it.

I realize now that there may be something following the end of "Soul Eater", or perhaps something has been covered in the Manga that was not in the Anime. This story is based strictly off of the Anime and what transpired in it. I would like to read the Manga, and I will get around to it someday.

Without further ado, I present: "Light Shine Strong", Black Star x Tsubaki fan-fiction.

* * *

Ten years had passed since the vanquishing of the Kishin Asura. The citizens of Death City crawled out of the wreckage and worked together to restore their former home. From the piles of rubble and massive craters from the onslaught emerged towering residencies and wide-open plazas. Crystal fountains dotted the city and provided cool, fresh water, and the gardens offered a beautiful shady respite from the harsh heat. The people worked their hands to the bone, and were rewarded with a new way of life and an influx of knowledge. Medicine, literature, and scientific knowledge expanded day by day, and though they'd found happiness, the memory of where they'd risen from humbled them.

Evil still lurked in the shadows, and reared its ugly head once in a while throughout the world. However, the Death Weapon Meister Academy continued to honor its sworn creed to uphold the balance of things, keeping the darkness at bay and assuring Death City's survival.

The three "heroes" and their weapons that had fought against the Kishin were well received by the community. The people treated them with respect rather than fleeing in fear, and showered them with thanks left and right. Despite men and women throwing themselves at their feet begging to have the powerful meister's' or their weapon's' hand in marriage, Maka, Black Star, and Kidd had married their partners. Kidd, unable to stand the fact of being married to only one of the pair of Demon pistols, married both when Patty was of age.

Soul accomplished his goal of becoming a Death Scythe far before Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty. After that, Black Star and Kidd's competition rose to its fullest. Black Star had won by a slim chance. Kidd's obsessive-compulsive disorder had kicked in when Patty ate one more soul than Liz had, and he spent precious days brooding over the difference.

Since Black Star and Tsubaki's marriage, he had calmed down, and his highly-inflated ego had deflated considerably. After the birth of the twins, he seemed too tired to keep up his arrogance, and hardly declared that he would surpass the gods. The others wondered if Black Star gave up the thought altogether.

In truth, Black Star saw Tsubaki as his goddess, so he decided he was already among the gods.

Black Star and Tsubaki waited outside of the classroom they'd attended when they were kids, waiting for their twins to be dismissed. Tsubaki and Black Star spent months trying to decide on names for the both of them, and finally came to an agreement when Tsubaki explained how their floral counterparts appeared to form a star. In the end, Asagao, "Willful Promises", named for the Morning Glory flower, was to be given to the first, and Shirayuri, "Purity", for the White Lily, was reserved for the other.

Both came into the world well, healthy and strong. It was all Black Star wished for, and he was damned and determined to ensure they led a happy life.

The bell rung, dull and low, like the moo of a cow. Tsubaki's heart leapt, and she stared at the door in anticipation. Today would be the day when they determined who was destined to be a weapon, and who was destined to be a meister.

"Asa" was sweet and gentle like her mother, but headstrong and showed a powerful sense of will like her father. They wouldn't be surprised if she'd been classified as a weapon. "Shira" on the other hand could be rowdy and loud, boasting about her power, often getting into fights at school. She'd follow in Black Star's footsteps, for sure. Their kids would be the youngest meister and weapons of the current class. Perhaps even, in the broad history of DWMA.

Black Star and Tsubaki leaned against the wall, waiting for their children to emerge.

"Who are you calling a pipsqueak? I'll be a better meister than you, no doubt about it! I'll kick your butt right here, right now! Come on, Asa! Let's put this jerk in his place!" They heard a voice bark from inside. Tsubaki and Black Star felt their stomachs drop, and they rushed into the classroom.

An older student had teamed up with another, staring the two smaller, younger kids down with a sense of arrogance that reminded Black Star of himself when he was the young man's age. Young man? He looked about thirteen. Black Star suddenly felt old, though he was only twenty-three, almost twenty-four.

Sid stood between the two of them, and Tsubaki ran to their daughter's side, trying to hold her back.

"Where's… Shira?" Black Star asked. Asa held up a small, purple-handled ninja sword, casting a sideways nervous glance at her father . It all happened in a flash. She wasn't sure if this was good or not.

Black Star and Tsubaki blinked. This certainly wasn't what they'd been expecting.

Seeing an out, the kid tried to bolt past Black Star. There was an audible thud and the boy made a slight "oof" sound as Black Star held out his hand and snatched the kid by his shirt, holding him up into the air.

"Don't think you're getting away from this so easily, kid. At least be a man and apologize for whatever you said." Black Star growled, glaring up at the boy. The boy feverishly nodded and Black Star set him down.

He scrambled to face Asa and Shira, bowing to them.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I take back what I said; I'm sorry!" He repeated, trembling. He wanted to piss himself, but he didn't dare, and clenched his fists tight to ignore the feeling.

"Yeah, well-well, don't do it again!" Shira barked, transforming back into a human and standing up to him. The boy stood up, terrified. He looked to Black Star, hoping their father was satisfied. Black Star snorted and stepped aside, allowing passage. The boy didn't waste it, and took off.

Sid chuckled, shaking his head and smirking.

"I was never one to laugh at other's fear in life, but… that was pretty funny." He stated. Black Star laughed, and knelt down as Asa ran up to him.

"Thank you, papa." She whispered. He nodded and stood, bringing her with him. He hoisted her up on his shoulders, and began to walk out of the door, stooping down so she didn't hit her head on the top of it.

Shira and Tsubaki followed, holding hands.

"You know, your father and I weren't expecting you to be the weapon. We thought it would be your sister." Tsubaki admitted. Shira looked at the ground, sheepishly.

"Are you guys mad?" She worried. Tsubaki stopped and rested on her knee to look Shira in the eyes. She softly stroked her blue hair and squeezed her cheeks, making Shira giggle.

"No, not at all, my dear. We're proud of you both. You have no idea how proud we are." She smiled.

"Oh. Well-well, of course! We're too awesome for you to be upset!" Shira bellowed, laughing loudly. She took off, trying to catch up to her father. Tsubaki sighed. She was _exactly_ like her father.

They roamed the halls of the academy, winding their way lazily to the front, Shira and Asa sharing stories of the day's events as they wandered.

A man in a black cloak approached them, and they stopped, smiling at they realized who it was. Death the Kidd hadn't changed much, still wearing the black suit and skull-faced neck pin. The three stripes along the left side of his hairline tossed back and forth as he waved at them.

"Hey, guys. And how are my two favorite symmetrical students doing?" Kidd asked, greeting the twins, patting their heads. Asa giggled and let him, and Shira shoved his hand away, hiding a smirk. They both had blue hair and black irises, though Asa's star was around her left eye, and Shira's was around her right. Asa was right-handed, and Shira was left-handed.

"I'm a weapon! Yuss!" Shira boasted, puffing up her chest and beaming proudly.

"I'm the meister." Asa admitted, a shy smile on her face.

"Oh, really? What a twist. Though… you _are_ twins. I wonder if it would work in reverse." He asked aloud, tapping his chin in thought. It would make perfect sense, considering they both potentially held the correct genes for it, being fraternal twins. Asa and Shira looked at each other, nodding. They'd give it a shot later. They ran off to play with Liz and Patty, leaving Kidd, Black Star, and Tsubaki.

"I am thinking about having a celebration tonight, if you, Liz, and Patty would like to join us. Krona is welcome, too. I'm going to stop by Maka and Soul's to invite them as well, so don't worry about contacting them." Tsubaki started. Black Star smiled, excited. She was a wonderful cook, and his mouth watered as he imagined what she'd be making.

Black Star couldn't recall tasting something of hers that he didn't like, and he loved when she tried new recipes. Spaghetti with Bolognese, for a "taste of Italy". German sausage, sauerkraut, and dumplings, for a "German Exhibition". Even a lobster dinner she'd made on their anniversary one year had been an amazing addition to his palate, though the lobster had made him sicker than a dog. He later discovered he was intolerant to large amounts of shellfish.

Kidd smiled and nodded, eager to celebrate the victory with them. Through the years, Asa and Shira became somewhat of his "nieces", though he wouldn't admit it. They'd think he'd become a softie.

"Do you need a bigger kitchen? You could use mine; it's too big for the three of us, anyway." He offered. They readily nodded, appreciating the gesture.

"Come over whenever you like. It's…" Kidd glanced at his watch, and his eyes almost popped out of his skill. The meeting with his father was in five minutes.

"Liz, Patty! We're late!" He barked out to them, summoning his board. Liz and Patty ran over to him, and transformed. He caught them and took off, leaving them in the dust.

"Sorry, gotta run!" He called over his shoulder.

"Whoa! That was super-cool!" Shira exclaimed, bouncing around with energy.

Black Star picked up Asa again and snuck behind Shira, picking her up as well. Carrying both under his arms, he smiled at Tsubaki.

"Come on. We better go, otherwise we'll be late." He suggested. She smiled and walked beside him, tickling Asa and Shira in turn. Black Star almost had a difficult time holding on to them.

* * *

Dinner served, and guests full, they sat for a while, chatting with one another. The food had been excellent; Kidd's kitchen offered a wider variety of spices than they had at home, and they'd all been arranged alphabetically which had been a big help, since Tsubaki could easily find what she needed.

"Hey! Hey! We're gonna try what Kidd said! Aka's gonna try to transform this time!" Shira yelled, catching their attention. The adults turned, waiting.

Asa looked at her sister like she was the epitome of evil.

"Shira, no! I'm not-

-You can do it! Come on, everyone's waiting!" Shira persisted. Asa looked at her mother, who nodded, and then her father, who grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

"Go ahead and try. We won't laugh. If you can't, that's ok. Not everyone can on their first try. I couldn't." Soul commented, trying to give her support. She nodded, and closed her eyes, focusing.

She felt a tingle in her feet that rose through her legs, and then spread through her torso. When it engulfed her whole body, nervously, she opened her eyes. She couldn't see anything but a blue orb. She crept closer to it. It seemed familiar.

 _Asa, you did it! Yuss! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!_ Her sister's voice bellowed in her mind.

 _AH! Wow! I did it! How-how do I go back?_ She panicked.

 _It's hard to explain. Just think you're a human again._ Shira guided.

Trusting her sister's instinct, Asa focused, and soon enough, she was a human again. She looked at her hands and feet, checking to make sure she'd transformed in one piece.

They all clapped for them, cheering. Asa smiled brightly and crawled into her mother's lap, and Shira crawled into her father's.

"I'm so jealous of your kids, man. I wish they were mine." Kidd complimented. Liz looked at him with an irritated frown. _If your OCD didn't get in the way, we would already have kids._ She thought to him, hoping it would reach him. Since she was in her human form, it probably wouldn't.

"You can join the bandwagon anytime, or better yet, take them with you! Give Tsubaki and me a break! Gotta warn you, though, Shira's a handful at times… and when those two are quiet, all is not good. They are up to something." Black Star joked, taking a drink of milk.

"You're not going to really give us away, are you, papa?" Asa asked, sitting in his lap. Black Star chuckled and shook his head no. He couldn't think of it seriously.

"Good! Cuz, cuz that wouldn't be nice, you meanie!" Shira argued, blinking away tears and trying to keep a straight face as she acted tough.

"Speaking of kids, when are you two going to get started? It's been what, six years since you married?" Tsubaki joined, staring Maka down.

"Hmm, maybe." Maka said dismissively. Not caring how bloated he felt, Soul cut off a piece of meat and chewed it slowly for the excuse not to talk. He jumped as Maka rested her hand on his leg and gave it a slight squeeze under the table. The blush crept to his face.

They'd talked about it, but neither of them felt like they had good role models of parents, other than Maka's mother. All they knew was what _not_ to do.

Asa yawned, and curled up in her mother's lap. Shira saw it, and yawned too, trying to fight it with a grumble.

"I just did it cuz she did! I'm not…" She yawned again, and scowled. "Tired." Her father smirked, and shook his head.

"Sure, sure." He replied. He finished his glass of milk, stood, and tried to use his hip to push in the chair. Patty stood and tucked it in for him, and did the same for Tsubaki.

"Thanks. We're going to go get these two to bed. It's been a day." Tsubaki announced.

"Yup, see ya." Soul waved.

Patty walked them to the front door, giggling crazily as they left.

"We'll jump on the bandwagon, too!" She called out after them. Black Star and Tsubaki chuckled, and continued walking.

"What is she talking about?" Shira asked, confused. Tsubaki and Black Star traded glances. Who was going to answer this one?

"Um, well, they're gonna… chase some wagons, and, uh, jump in them?" He answered, though his statement came out as more of a question.

"That's silly." Shira muttered, resting her chin on Black Star's shoulder. Tsubaki and Black Star kept from laughing.

"I think it's funny. You're so smart, papa. You're the smartest man in the world!" Asa countered. Black Star smiled, pleased with the compliment.

"Heh, well, you know… your dad's strong, but he can be a bit of a dunce." He admitted.

"That's not true." Asa said, reaching out her hand for him to take. He did, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

They strolled down the street, watching as the moon grinned at them, illuminating their way with bright rays of light.

"Hey, papa, mama? Why did you two get married?" Asa asked. Shira snorted.

"Cuz they love each other, duh." Shira answered.

"Shira, don't tease your sister like that." Tsubaki warned. Black Star smiled.

"When was the first time you told her?" Asa asked.

He paused, remembering. It'd been a _total_ misunderstanding.

 _Tsubaki and Black Star had been watching the sunset on the balcony of DWMA. The cherry trees were in full bloom, the petals falling gracefully in the mid-fall heat. It was like a downpour of pink, velvety petals._

 _Tsubaki had brought him to this place, hoping to teach him some meditation techniques he could use to simmer down his hyper-activity. Regardless of being one of the ones to help beat the Kishin, he still had to pass school to become an "official" meister, and no matter how much he studied, he couldn't pass the tests. Stein was a hell of a teacher._

 _He'd studied for a week for their midterm, and received a 63 percent. With a 2 percent bonus, it'd been upped to a 65, but… still. It was disheartening, and it crushed him. Tsubaki had seen him gloomy, but not to_ this _extent. She hoped it would cheer him._

 _"Isn't it pretty?" She asked, smiling and looking around at the view. He glanced at her, scanned the view, and then stared back at the sun. It was desperately fighting off sleep, still just above the horizon. He shrugged._

 _"Meh. This really isn't getting my mind off of things." He admitted. Tsubaki's smile fell slightly, and her eyes filled with slight sadness. She took a deep breath, trying to think of other ways she could help._

 _"What would you rather do, then?"_

 _He pondered for a second. For once, he actually didn't feel like strength-training. It wasn't going to help his brain, and he had enough brawns as it was. As the math puzzles she'd introduced him to ran through his head, he decided he'd try them again. They seemed to focus his hyper-active mind._

 _"Sudoku." He mumbled, shuffling his feet and stuffing his hands in his pockets as he turned away and began to walk. His head was down, and he was thinking heavily._

 _"Wait, WHAT?" Tsubaki barked, chasing after him._

 _"Yeah. Since I got a damn D on that test, it's the only think I can think of that will help." He replied, not looking back._

 _In the next second, she'd thrown her arms around him, hugging him from behind. She was trembling, and crying._

 _"Don't! Please, don't! I-I can't-I love you!" She cried, bawling into the back of his shirt. Confused now, he turned his head and looked at her._

 _"'Baki? What… what did you think I said?" He asked, wanting clarification. She stopped, and looked at him frightfully, face red._

 _"Se-Seppuku." She replied. Black Star's eyes widened, and he backed away, shaking his head and making an "x" with his arms._

 _"No! No way! I'm not going-whoa, I'm not-_ No _! I wouldn't do that! I mean, I've still gotta surpass the gods! I can't do that if I'm_ dead _!" He explained. She fell to her knees, embarrassed and relieved. Black Star stared at her for a minute, feeling extremely sorry for the onslaught he'd just brought on her emotions._

 _She'd thought he was going to commit suicide? No way, no how. It'd be crazy! He doubted he'd use it as a last resort. The concept explained her reaction, chasing after him like that, and bawling like she had. He felt his cheeks warm, and a small smile on his face. His heart lifted. Was he imagining this, or had she said she loved him?_

 _He knelt down and set his hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears that fell with his thumb._

 _"Tsubaki… Did you say you love me?" He asked. She sniffled, and nodded, face turning red._

 _He grinned, and brought her face to his, planting a kiss on her lips. He didn't care that her nose was smashed against his face, or that she was crying. He felt immense joy, he wanted to scream from it._

 _He buried his face in her shoulder, and hugged her._

 _"Nobody's ever… said that before." He admitted. Now, it was his turn to cry, and he did, hard. She pulled him in her hold, squeezing him tightly._

 _"That's a damn shame, because… I love you, Black Star."_

"Papa? Are you crying?" Shira's voice asked, bringing him out of the memory. He blinked, and swallowed. Sure, he had tears welling in his eyes, and blinked them back.

"N-no, I was just… sweating from my eyeballs." He said defiantly, shaking his head and sniffling.

"Wow, the uh, flowers must be in bloom." He sniffed, his voice sounding congested. Good, at least he could pass this off. "Allergies." He explained. Tsubaki fought to keep a straight face, chortling.

 _Ya-huh, sure, Black Star._ She thought.

"So why'd you tell her you love her?" Shira repeated the question.

"Actually, it was due to a misunderstanding… and _she_ told _me._ " He replied, smiling. Shira snorted.

"If she told you first, you _must_ be a dunce." She growled. Black Star's smile faded to a frown. When had their daughter become such a smart-ass?

They continued on their way, telling tales of how many enemies they'd vanquished, and when asked what the most difficult had been, Black Star had to think about it. Mifune had been tough, no doubt. He'd probably would have died, but he'd convinced Mifune to convert to their side, assuring there would be protection for the witch Mifune was protecting, Angela.

The Kishin wasn't _that_ bad, he told himself. In the end, he'd been vanquished. He remembered the foe they'd faced roughly eleven years ago on the bridge in London. The man said he was immortal, and he probably would have killed them all if he hadn't slipped up and frozen himself in an ice cube and fallen into the river below.

"There was a werewolf dude in London that your Mother and I fought a long time ago." He admitted, stopping at the corner down the street from their house.

Tsubaki paused, and felt herself frown as well. She looked around. Was it just her imagination, or was she feeling the same heavy aura as she had that night?

"'Baki?" Black Star asked, calling out to her. She straightened herself, and smiled, shaking her head.

"Sorry, my imagination got the better of me." She dismissed. He reached out his hand, and she took it. The memory unnerved him occasionally as well.

Once inside, Tsubaki locked the doors, still feeling uneasy. Black Star made a mental note to distract her. They were safe now. Nothing could harm them; not within the borders of Death City.

They carried their kids to their room, and lay them down in their separate beds.

"Mama, will you sing us a lullaby?" Asa asked, tucking the sheets up under her chin. Tsubaki nodded, and stood up to place a kiss on Asa's cheek.

"Aren't we a little old for lullabies?" Shira grumbled, turning on her side, facing away from them. Tsubaki chuckled and shook her head.

"As long as I'm living, I'd be happy to sing you a lullaby." She promised.

Black Star stood in the doorway, leaning against the post, arms crossed, eager to hear his wife sing. It'd been a while. Perhaps, this would also help to take her mind off of the things from their past.

She softly hummed the tune to a lullaby she'd discovered in youth and kept close to heart, and her voice resonated through the room. Black Star would have fallen asleep standing if he hadn't kept himself in check.

Finished, she checked on both of them. Asa had fallen asleep, hugging the covers. Shira, on the other hand lay sprawled out in her bed, snoring, foot jutted out from underneath the covers. Black Star chuckled and moved her foot back underneath, tucking the blanket back underneath the mattress.

Tsubaki shut off the light, and they left the room. Pausing outside of the door, she grabbed Black Star and hugged him tightly, like she'd wanted to all day.

"I love our family." She whispered. He smiled and kissed the top of her head, running his fingers through her silken black hair.

"I do too. And, you know, I love your voice, too." He smirked, tilting his head down and kissing her deeply. He lightly traced his fingers down her neck and shoulder, down her side, and rested it on her hip, which he gripped lightly.

"I'd like to hear more." He said. She blushed. His simple motions had her ready to go in an instant, and his suggestion had been smooth as hell.

They tiptoed quickly down the hall and shut the door behind them as they barreled into their room.

* * *

Black Star and Tsubaki jumped as they heard an earsplitting screech, and jumped out of bed. Black Star threw open the door, holding out his hand. Tsubaki transformed immediately, and he sprinted down the hall, trying to remain as quiet as possible.

He kicked the door open and froze in shock.

A wolf-like man was standing in the middle of it, one small body at his feet, covered in blood, and the other he held by the neck in a large, claw-like hand. Shira kicked at him, but he ignored it.

"Well, it certainly has been a while. You've grown up!" The voice said. Black Star went to rush the man, but was repulsed and thrown back by a force of some kind. He hit the wall, and slid down. He rushed again, swinging with Tsubaki.

She collided, and a shock of electrical current traveled through her and to him. She was thrown back with him again, forced out of her weapon form. She tried to turn back as Black Star ordered her to turn into a smoke bomb, but found she couldn't. Something was preventing her from doing it.

"Fool. You can't reach me!" The man taunted.

"Let our children go, damn you! Take me instead!" Black Star bellowed, hoping he could reason with the man. The man sniffed at the air, held a finger to his lips in mock-ponder, and shrugged.

"Nope. You wouldn't be tasty enough." He said, readying a sharp claw. Black Star and Tsubaki's stomachs dropped in fear.

"Please, let our daughters go! _Please_!" Tsubaki pleaded, tears streaming from her eyes. There was nothing they could do; they didn't have an anti-magic wavelength like Maka and Soul did. Even if they did, he'd done something to prevent her from transforming in the first place.

"Shut up, _bitch_." The man said, as he drove his claw through Shira's chest. They screamed in fury as he ripped out their daughter's heart… and _ate_ it. He licked his claw, sucking off the blood as though it'd been a delicate treat.

The ward dropped, and Black Star rushed again, throwing a punch. Blinded by fury, Black Star didn't notice the claw aimed for his throat, and didn't move out of the way. The man grabbed him, shocked him, and threw him back again. Black Star tried to move, but a shock went through him at each attempt.

"You can certainly do better than _that_ , can't you? Tch. What a bore. Doesn't matter what you do. By the time you can move, I'll be long gone." He said, jumping out of the open window, laughing all the while.

"COME BACK HERE! YOU COWARD! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Black Star bellowed. He stopped when his throat became raw, and bawled, reaching for Tsubaki. She was weak, too, but together they pulled themselves close and mourned. Tsubaki couldn't bring herself to look at the middle of the floor, not wanting to believe the reality.

Their children had been murdered, and they couldn't do a damn thing to stop it.

* * *

Well, please drop a review, or a comment. My father suggested that I be more descriptive. That I "paint a picture". I've tried to do that, but because I am the writer, what I see clearly may not be clear to others. It is a blessing and a curse.

Thank you for reading!


	2. Unwanted Reality

So, I've learned that Word's spell check doesn't like to look at everything. There may be misused words or strange phrases. Please let me know some of them in a review. That way, I can avoid similar problems in the future.

* * *

Chapter 2

Kidd had been the first to arrive. He'd felt an immensely powerful soul somewhere in the vicinity, but as soon as he'd arrived at Black Star's compound, only fragments of energy lingered about. He'd gotten a call from emergency services; the neighbors of the 23rd east block had heard a scream and a fight break out.

Kidd scowled when he heard the complete address, and his stomach lurched. It was Black Star and Tsubaki's address.

The door was closed, and he knocked on it. Hearing no answer, he turned the knob. The door was locked tight. He focused, and searched for Tsubaki's aura; being a weapon-meister and Death's son, he was naturally attuned to weapon's souls.

Her aura was faint, and it almost seemed like her soul looked cracked in places. There were flecks falling off of it.

He aimed Liz at the door and shot the knob, shattering it. He reached in through the hole and unlocked the door, threw it open, and ran inside.

"Black Star! Tsubaki!" He called out, scanning the room. Nothing was overturned. No glass had been broken; no signs of struggle showed anywhere. The fight must have been further inward. He sniffed at the air, and his heart churned in his chest. He smelled blood.

He peered his head around the corner of the hallway, and gasped. He ran up to them.

Tsubaki and Black Star were lying on the floor, Black Star holding her tightly. She appeared to be unconscious.

"Kidd. Kidd, he-he killed them. That son of a bitch, he k-killed them!" Black Star struggled to say. Kidd could tell he'd shouted himself hoarse; the poor man's voice was cracking. From the puffiness of his eyes, he guessed he'd been crying heavily as well. Killed them? Oh, Death, he couldn't be talking about the kids, could he?

 _Kidd, the girls. I don't-I don't sense anything._ Liz brought to his attention. Kidd blinked, swallowed the lump in his throat, and looked over into the room. It was too dark to see anything. He stood, hoping to get a better view. The tiny amount of moonlight didn't help much. He shakily stepped into the room.

He cried out at what he saw, and fell to his knees, slumped over in horror. He gaped, wide-eyed at the grotesque scene before him. His pistols slipped from his fingers. Liz and Patty transformed after they hit the ground, and then wished they hadn't.

Shira and Asa were lying in pools of blood, gaping holes in their chests where their hearts should have been. He crawled to Asa's body and closed her eyes, then crawled to Shira's body and closed hers, too.

"I'm sorry. I should have gotten here sooner." He whispered. Maybe then, the two children wouldn't be dead. He could only imagine the wreck Tsubaki and Black Star were in.

"Tsubaki! Black Star!" Maka's voice called out. Kidd hurried to the door and slid it shut. He didn't want anyone else to see what'd happened. This was bad enough.

"Don't open the door, Maka. Call Stein. Now!" He ordered. He listened, and heard Maka asking them what'd happened, and Soul on the phone with Stein. Hopefully the crazy doctor could do something. He'd managed to turn Sid into a zombie, but with the children's hearts gone, he doubted Stein would be able to do anything.

His mind raced with questions. Who'd attacked them, and why? How had he managed to get past the barrier of Death City? With his father's soul surrounding the city and the spells Angela and Blair had cast, no one with the intent of harm could get in. It'd been proven when a group of witches attempted to storm Death City in revenge of Medusa's death.

He backed against the door, and slid down to sit on the floor. Liz and Patty joined him, stunned. They held his hands, and he could feel how cold they were. Hell, he was sure his own were cold, too.

Roughly twenty minutes passed, and Kidd looked up as he heard Stein and Spirit's voices in the hallway. He stood and slid open the door, slipping through. Kidd tried to hide the view as much as possible, not sure who was in the hallway.

"The kids?" Stein asked as Kidd emerged from the darkness of the room. Kidd looked at him, mouth slightly agape. He stood aside and looked at the door.

"I see." Stein moved past Kidd and stepped into the room. Spirit followed, and immediately turned around, hand to his mouth as though he were going to puke. He pushed past Kidd and hurried into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. Even with it closed, he could hear Spirit vomiting.

Concerned for his friends, Kidd looked at the start of the hallway for them. They'd been moved. He walked into the living room, checking there. Tsubaki and Black Star had been covered with robes, and Tsubaki had woken.

They looked frightful. Tsubaki's lips quivered, and Black Star was visibly trembling. Kidd wondered what was going through their minds, or if anything was going through them at all. They may have still been in shock.

Soul sat at Black Star's side, and Maka sat at Tsubaki's. Maka was holding Tsubaki's hand, and Soul had his arm wrapped around Black Star's shoulders.

As Kidd sat across from them, Maka opened her mouth to speak, but closed it. She couldn't ask what was on her mind. Not in the presence of her friends who'd just lost their children. Liz strode to the kitchen, filling a teapot with water and setting it on the stove. Maybe, some tea would comfort them.

Spirit entered the room, a dour look plastered on his face. Kidd looked at him, expecting an answer of some sort. Spirit turned his head away. He had nothing he could say. He walked out of the house, and a few seconds later, the scent of a cigarette wafted through the air.

Liz walked out with a tray of teacups, and set it on the coffee table. She picked one up and set it in Black Star's hands. Maka reached out and put one in Tsubaki's hands. It didn't seem to make a difference. Kidd took one too, but only stared at it. Noticing the blood on his hands, he wiped them off onto his pants subtly to avoid catching attention.

"Kidd." Stein's voice called. He jumped and snapped his head up.

"Y-yes?"

Stein waved a bloody hand, motioning for him to follow. He wanted to discuss things out of earshot of Black Star and Tsubaki. They stopped at the far end of the hallway.

Voice hushed, Stein began to speak, wiping his bloody hands on a cleansing wipe.

"Their hearts are gone. Do you know anyone who would have done this, and why?" He began. Kidd inhaled deeply, only to find that it caught in his chest. He shook his head.

"I-I have no idea. Whoever did this somehow got past our barriers." Kidd answered. Stein sighed.

"How are they?" He asked, jerking his head to refer to Tsubaki and Black Star. Kidd stared at his feet.

"Still in shock, I think. We can't seem to bring them out of it." He replied.

"Is-is there anything you can do? You, you turned Sid into a-

-yes, but he still had all of his organs. Without their hearts, there is nothing I can do. Besides… even if I could and did, they would not be the same." He explained.

Kidd thought about it, and nodded in agreement. He turned his head as the sound of sirens approached.

"Get them out of here. I don't want them to see-ahem." He cleared his throat, referring to the corpses inside the room.

The request was reasonable. Kidd walked back into the living room, and approached Tsubaki and Black Star cautiously.

"Come on. We should… we should step outside for a bit." Kidd offered, reaching out a hand for them to take. Slowly, Black Star reached out his hand, and they helped them stand. Leaning Black Star against himself for support, Kidd guided Black Star to the front door and onto the porch.

"We can't leave them." Black Star whispered, voice full of pain. He turned his head to look back at the house, eyes welled up with tears.

Kidd didn't know what to do. He wanted Stein's help.

"We-we have to. You're… in shock, Black Star. You both can sleep in the guest room for a while. For however long you need." Kidd offered, trying to sway them.

Black Star turned and glared at the medics walking into his house with utter hate and fury. They pushed along a gurney with a large, black body bag. Tsubaki tried to run after them, but Maka held her back.

"What are they doing? No! No, they can't! They can't!" She cried.

"Tsubaki, please! We have to-we have to go!" Maka called. Tsubaki shook her head, scrambling to get away, reaching out for the side of the door. "NO!" She screeched in anger.

Maka and Soul struggled to carry Tsubaki off of the porch as another pair of medics stepped in with a gurney, and it took Kidd, Liz, and Patty to get Black Star off of the porch.

A few minutes later, the medics stepped out, carrying the gurneys. Tsubaki watched as they strolled them down the sidewalk, and struggled to run to them. She threw a punch that collided with Soul's cheekbone, shaking him off of her. She grabbed Maka's shirt and whipped her around, throwing her to the ground as well.

Rushing for the medics, she ordered them to stop.

Spirit stopped her before she could reach them, and Stein focused his energy, shocking her. Paralyzed, she fell limp in Spirit's hold.

"Don't let them take them away! Please, no, please!" She begged. Stein sighed and hit a spot on the back of her neck, knocking her out. He walked up to Black Star and did the same, since all of his friends were holding him back.

"Take them somewhere else." He ordered again. He stepped into the ambulance before it took off, and Spirit stepped into the other.

Kidd carried Black Star while Soul carried Tsubaki, and together they headed for Gallows Manor.

They rested the two side-by-side in one of the guest bedrooms, and covered them with a blanket.

"Do you think we should keep watch?" Maka suggested. Kidd nodded. He had plenty of rooms to spare; they could stay for the night.

"Yeah. You can stay if you want. Go home, grab some things. I'll take the first watch." He said. There were no windows to this room, so he didn't have to worry about them escaping or an intruder breaking in. Not that they'd wake up anytime soon; he held confidence in Stein's ability to put someone to sleep for a few good hours.

He sat down across the hall from the door, staring at it, deep in thought.

He couldn't begin to process what they were currently going through, or even what they _would_ be going through. He'd been young when his mother died, so it didn't affect him quite as much. He hadn't had any other personal experiences with the loss of a loved one, especially so suddenly. He didn't know how to help them.

Maka's mother was still alive, traveling the world, and she'd send postcards occasionally. Soul didn't talk to his family. He didn't have a clue about Stein, though being as smart as he was, Stein would probably be their greatest help. Perhaps he could ask his father. Though he refused to talk about it, his father would probably know best, considering his mother had been ill for a while before her death.

He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He felt the sleep on his eyes, but he fought it off.

Half an hour passed, and Kidd turned his head as he saw Maka and Soul walk up to him.

"Have they woken up?" Maka asked, concerned. Kidd shook his head.

"No, but that's probably a good thing. They've just lost their kids. I-I can't even imagine how they feel." He admitted. Maka and Soul sat down next to the door.

"Neither can I. For… for people as powerful as Tsubaki and Black Star, whoever did it must have been ten times as powerful. Or, wasn't alone." Soul mused. Kidd nodded, recalling the energy he'd felt left behind. Considering it'd been fallout of battle, for there to be that much signaled their foe wasn't a common bum.

"Did you feel anything when you arrived, Maka?" Kidd asked. Maka looked up at him, and nodded slowly.

"I think so, but I am not sure. I was pretty riled up." She admitted.

Maka leaned her head against Soul's shoulder and took his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"What can we do to help them?" Patty asked Kidd, looking up at him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. Liz leaned her head on his other shoulder, and he took her hand as well.

"I-I don't really know. I was thinking about it earlier. I could talk to my father, but you know how he is. Stein would probably know best. Maybe… maybe we should keep them distracted. But, we should give it a few days. Maybe a few weeks. They'll need to… adjust." He stated, recalling how strange it'd felt when as a child he slowly began to realize that he wouldn't see his mother again. Perhaps the funeral would be the best form of closure Black Star and Tsubaki would get.

"Will they fully adjust, though?" Soul asked. It sounded harsh, but he'd meant it with the best intentions. Kidd shook his head. Things had never been the same since the death of his mother, not within himself, or even with the relationship with his father. He would be willing to bet that his father still struggled with it sometimes.

"You should get some sleep, Kidd. You'll probably be busy with a lot of things tomorrow." Soul suggested, leaning his head against the wall. Kidd sighed. After this onslaught, Soul was right. They'd no doubt be up to their eyeballs in press.

He stood, made his way to his room and sat down on his bed, leaning forward and holding his head in his hands. Muffling his cries, he sobbed, and Liz and Patty kept close by to comfort him.

* * *

Tsubaki opened her eyes, groaning. Her body was sore, and her heartbeat pounded in her head. As she sat up, the room spun, and she lied back down. She felt like she was waking from a heavy night of drinking, though her heart ached, as though something had gone completely awry. As a bleary flash of a wolf-man when through her mind, she thought that perhaps it'd all been a nasty dream.

She curled up against her husband, and took a deep breath in. Something didn't smell right. It didn't smell like home. Snapping her eyes open, she slowly forced herself to sit up again, and looked around.

This wasn't their room.

She froze and gasped, voice caught in her chest. She wanted to scream as she recalled what had happened. She shook her head violently, and squeezed her eyes shut. Her shaking woke Black Star, and as he saw her, he sat up to comfort her.

But, as he saw the room they were in, he stood out of bed, his heart beating hard against his ribcage.

"No, no. No, no, no!" He begged. He saw the door, and threw it open, stepping outside. Soul looked up at him, startled by the sudden action.

As Soul looked in his friend's eyes, he tried to fight the look of pity in his eyes. He got to his feet, and stepped forward.

"Asa! Shira! Tell me they're not-they're _not!_ " Black Star pleaded. Soul looked down in shame. He tried to say the words, but his throat was knotted. He gave a nod of his head, able to mouth _I'm sorry._ Black Star backed away. He formed a fist and punched the floor, creating a small dent in it.

Tsubaki crawled over to him, buried her face in his shoulder, and clung to him. He pulled her into his hold, leaned against the dresser.

"Um…" Soul muttered, not sure what to do.

"Go. Just go." Black Star hissed, voice in a strained whisper. Soul nodded, obliging their wishes. He paused before he closed the door.

"If you need anything, we're here for you, just outside of this door." Soul commented. As he looked at them, he felt his words had fallen on deaf ears. Still, he closed the door and leaned down to wake Maka. He gently shook her shoulder, and she jumped.

"They're awake, but we'll wait. They probably don't want to see anyone yet." He explained. She nodded slowly, her eyes red. She hadn't pulled an all-nighter in a long time.

Soul and Maka resumed their sitting position, "guarding" the door, so to speak. They tried not to listen to the wails of their friends. It got to Maka, and it showed as she hid her face in her hands and wept, body shaking with sobs. Soul hugged her tightly.

Black Star and Tsubaki lay on the floor, exhausted. They felt lifeless, dull. A void formed where their hearts had been. Tsubaki's eyes flittered closed and she fell asleep, face pressed against his chest. Black Star's head fell forward as he fell asleep as well, too emotionally and physically drained to move.

* * *

Stein knocked on the door to Gallows Manor, and was slightly surprised to see Kidd himself answer the door. Kidd stared at his face, noting Stein looked tired as hell. His usually baggy and sunken eyes seemed more noticeable today.

"Oh, I was expecting someone else. But, come on in." He offered, stepping aside for Stein to enter. Stein did so, not lifting his gaze from the floor. His hands were buried in his lab coat's pockets, a bag containing who-knew-what tucked up under his arm.

"So, um… Well, any news?" Kidd asked, offering to take the bag from him and carry it. Stein held onto it possessively, and Kidd found himself wondering what he was guarding it so fiercely for.

"No. There's no traces of anyone with a powerful signature in Death City. Spirit and I searched all night. Where are they?" He asked. Kidd led him to the hallway, pausing in front of the door. Soul and Maka looked up at the man, and then dropped their heads.

"How are they? Have they woken?" He asked.

"They woke up earlier, but neither one of them have come out, save for Black Star. He retreated." Soul explained. Stein nodded. It was what he'd expected.

"Is there anything we can do to help, Professor?" Liz asked, looking up at him hopefully. Stein looked at the door, and leaned against the wall. He took out a cigarette from a pouch and placed it between his lips, finding comfort that it was there. It dangled and jumped as he spoke.

"Be there. Be patient. Be honest. That's all I can surmise for now; I'm not an expert." He stated, crossing his arms. The screw in his head clicked, and he reached up to turn it. Due to a pinch in his shoulder, he couldn't reach well. Kidd reached out for it, pausing.

"Which way, Professor?" He asked.

"Counter-clockwise. Click it three times." He answered. He shuddered as Kidd turned it. It was strange not doing it himself, but as it began to unwind, he felt a jolt rush through his brain. He tilted his head and stared off into space for a short while.

Taking a deep breath, he sighed.

"They'll probably be in there for a while. Keep standing watch like you are, and be sure to bring them food. Even if they don't eat it, it should help for them to know you're here. You should… probably avoid asking dumb questions or stating the obvious. And, under _no_ circumstances are you to say that you understand how they feel; not a one of you has had to deal with this before." He warned. They nodded slowly in agreement.

He set the bag down at his feet and slid down the wall, resting his arms on his knees. As he leaned his head down, his glasses slid down his nose, slightly askew.

A mirror next to the door they all waited by rippled as though it were water, and Kidd tapped it. His father's mask looked back at him. This time, there was no wave, no bouncy hello, no "V" sign for victory. The news must have reached him sometime in the night. Kidd sensed he was serious.

"Father." He greeted.

"Kiddo. Um… how are things?" He asked. Kidd glanced around.

"I… can't answer that right now. We should move this conversation. This is not a good place." Kidd muttered, trying to keep his voice down.

His father nodded.

"Call me elsewhere. I'll wait. Or, visit in person." He added. Kidd nodded. The walk would help him clear his thoughts. He began to walk away, paused, and looked back at them.

"You're all welcome to use whatever you want. Kitchen's all yours. It's… almost time for breakfast, I think." He said, dropping a heavy hint. He turned back and walked on, making his way to the Death Room where his father kept watch on the world through his mirrors.

His father didn't turn to face him when he cleared his throat to announce his arrival. Instead, he kept a stern look forward, hands held behind his back.

"This is… grave." His father started. Kidd nodded slowly.

"I know. Black Star and Tsubaki, they're beside themselves. It hasn't even been a full 48-hours, but I have a feeling they'll be this way for a few weeks." He admitted. Death sighed and shook his head.

"They'll be able to make it with all of us here to support them." He replied.

Kidd took his father's words to heart. They helped null the ache, and he felt a glimmer of confidence in himself and in his friends. They could pull through, certainly. All they had to do was work together.

"Did you see who-

-I did not." Death cut him off. Kidd sighed again, kicking the ground with his feet. His father's short-talk was unnerving. He wasn't sure if his father was trying to keep himself from acting out in anger, or keep himself from crying. He couldn't recall ever _seeing_ his father cry. He found himself wondering how his father had managed to deal with the loss of his mother.

"Father?" Kidd asked. Death turned his head slightly.

"How did mother die?" He asked, wanting clarification. Death dropped his head, shook it, and turned around to face him.

"Sickness. She was perfectly healthy when I placed your fragment inside her womb, but a few years after you were born, she became extremely ill. " Death answered sadly. Kidd blinked. What had his father just said? He'd heard a few terms for "fertilization", but this phrase was just… wrong.

"When you… placed my fragment? Father, I know what sex is. You don't have to say it like-

-listen. As Shinigami age, fragments of our souls develop. In time, those fragments become somewhat sustainable, but still need a host to continue developing. So, I _literally_ picked off your fragment from my soul and placed in inside your mother's womb, and she became 'pregnant' so-to-speak, with you." He finished. Kidd slowly sat down before he could fall over.

"I had meant to tell you when you'd gotten married, but I figured it best to wait until a fragment started to develop on your soul." He stated nonchalantly.

"So… So mom died from sickness, and in order to procreate, I have to slice off bits of my soul and place them _inside_ of people? Wait, I have been trying to have a kid for-and you're just now telling me-are you-I'm _sterile?_ " He sputtered. Death nodded.

"Yup. Your semen is as useless as a ship without sails. A boat with no oars. A weapon without a meister." He answered. Kidd flopped backwards and lay there, shocked and at a loss for words. He groaned. Liz would never let him hear the end of this.

They sat in silence for a while, the only sound being the rippling of the water fountain and the rhythmic thud of the bamboo fountain.

"I should warn you, whatever negative emotions you have going on within when the fragment forms seem to manifest in a form of madness in the offspring. When I picked off the fragment that was to be Asura, it was during turbulent times. I could trust few, and even had my doubts about the few I did trust. Hence, his psychopathic tendencies. As for you, I was hell bent on maintaining peace and order. Perhaps that is the source behind your OCD." He said calmly, continuing as if Kidd had asked him to.

Kidd sat up, brought to light with this new information.

"Asura… was my brother? You-we- that was my _brother_? Your _son_?" He asked, amazed. He couldn't believe his eyes as he watched his father's mask nod.

"You had us kill my own brother?" He asked, sitting up again. His stomach was taught with something, he wasn't sure. Disgust? Fear? _Anger?_

"Had you known then, would you have still fought?" Death asked. Kidd took a breath, thinking. The man had cost the lives of many. He'd devoured innocent humans in search of power. Such a thing _couldn't_ be forgiven. The feeling in his gut dissipated. Of all the times he'd realized his father was right, he should have learned by now not to doubt him.

"I… see." He muttered. Death set a hand on Kidd's head, ruffling his hair.

"I am sorry. I should have told you sooner, but I feared... I feared I would lose you. That you would lose your mind, as Asura had." He explained.

His father's statement reminded Kidd of why he was here to begin with.

"What can we do for Black Star and Tsubaki? I originally came here for advice. The only person I could think of who would remember losing someone they love was you. I suppose I was too young to remember." He asked, bringing up the subject before he lost the chance to.

"Ah. The case is different, yet similar. Be there. Don't pressure them. Make sure they know they can turn to you, and listen even if you don't want to. Remember, _actions speak louder than words._ " He suggested. Kidd nodded. It summed up what Stein had suggested.

Disgruntled and unnerved, he stood and stepped down the steps.

"I'll try and stop by more often, Father." He promised, continuing on his way down the guillotine hallway towards Death City. He wondered how he'd break the news to Liz about his "condition", and began to draft ways his group of friends could help Tsubaki and Black Star.

* * *

Yes, this is dark. As I said, I am testing my personal limits. I want to write better-not necessarily darker, but... more descriptive, more moving. I want to stun and engross my readers in a world that excites them, makes them cry, makes them laugh and feel joy, or even shudder in terror.

When you review, it puts me one step closer to achieving what seems to be a small goal.


	3. Ascension From Darkness

So, I'm posting this again because I noticed a few errors, and wanted to fix them.

This Chapter has been my longest yet, I think. Should I have made it shorter? Post your thoughts in a review!

* * *

Chapter 3

The room was dark, save for a glimmer of light shining through the space between the floor and the doorway. They hadn't turned on the light, not caring to. All they could think about was comforting one another, still trying to grasp the new morbid reality.

There wasn't a clock in the room. They didn't know what time it was, or how much time had passed. When they were awake, they would hold one another tightly, unable to find even a tiny bit of their voice. When one started crying, the other did, too. They would eventually cry themselves to sleep.

The only interaction they'd had with the outside world came from one of their friends knocking on the door, offering them some kind of food or offering their ears, should they want to talk.

Tsubaki wasn't ready. She still felt an ache in her chest, and she could barely focus on her own thoughts. She doubted her ability to say them. Among the crushing grief, she felt what she told herself was a reasonable fury towards the murderer and towards herself, for not being able to transform, or maybe even shield Black Star from the attack. Had she been able to, maybe their children would still be alive.

Black Star was fuming, hatred turned towards the wolf-man and towards himself, for not being able to do anything. To protect his family, he'd sworn he'd tear the flesh from his own body… but he hadn't. He'd been immobilized by a damn electrical shock.

Still, neither one of them blamed the other. Through years of being partners, they'd understood that they worked as a team, and failed as a team.

Tsubaki looked up as a knock on the door resounded through the room. Stein opened the door, and peered inside.

"May I come in?" He asked. Tsubaki shrugged, but Black Star didn't make any gesture. He kept his gaze fixated on the quilt he was under.

Stein stepped in, closing the door behind him. He waited for a moment and blinked a few times to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. He looked around, and found a chair tucked underneath the desk.

He grabbed it, noticing the full plates of food. It didn't even look like it'd been touched. He supposed he understood. They didn't have an appetite. Not yet. They probably wouldn't for quite some time. He pressed his finger against the underside of the plate. It was still slightly warm. He picked up the tray and carried it with him, sat down in the chair and set the tray on his lap.

"Please, eat. It's been… almost two days." He asked them, hoping his voice didn't sound as gruff as usual. He hoped it conveyed his worry. Perhaps it would reach them.

Tsubaki reached out and took the plate he offered, and set it in her lap. She stared at the hot sandwich they'd made. She pursed her lips together, and reluctantly picked it up, and took a tiny bite. Her mouth watered, and she chewed and swallowed it. She couldn't taste it, but at least it was warm.

Stein held out the other plate to Black Star, and he scowled at it. Stein set it back down on the tray, and set the tray on the nightstand.

"I'll leave that there, if you want it." He announced.

He racked his brain for something to say. It was muddled, and hazy. He reached up and turned the screw, able to do so since he'd had Marie rub his shoulder.

"Everyone is waiting for you. Take your time, but they're there. They're… worried, to say the least. Concerned. Soul worked hard to make those." He said, nodding towards the sandwich Tsubaki was nibbling on.

"Oh." Tsubaki muttered.

Stein felt his lips curve in a smile.

"Maka helped. He says he can't cook, and manages to burn water." He stated.

This didn't elicit a response, so he let it be. He sat back, thinking. It was obvious they weren't ready to talk. It hardly looked like they could function, mentally and physically. Despite there being a bathroom connected to the room, they didn't look like they'd bathed since the incident. He made a mental note to have one of the others gather some clothing from their house.

Tsubaki set the sandwich down, and set the plate on the tray. She reached up a hand to wipe her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She began. Black Star turned to her, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Tsubaki. It's not your fault. If anything, I-I… blame me. I…" He squeezed his eyes shut, and his body shook as he fought crying. He was fine doing it in front of her alone, but not in front of anyone else.

"I'll take my leave. Just know, it's ok to feel what you're feeling—both of you. When you are ready, we'll be waiting." Stein announced. He stood and tucked the chair back underneath the desk, and headed for the door.

"We're all with you. We'll hunt this bastard down." He promised before he opened the door and walked out.

Tsubaki turned to Black Star and shook her head.

"You're not to blame, Black Star. I couldn't-I couldn't transform back. Maybe, if I could, we could've… and they'd have…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! Forgive me, please, forgive me." She begged. He squeezed her, and shook his head. She was wrong. His brow furrowed in anger.

"I couldn't get back up. I'm the one to blame. It's _my_ fault." He corrected her. He planted kisses on her cheek, tasting the saltiness of her tears on his lips. His heart ached for her.

"I could never blame you, Tsubaki. But I-I've failed you." He admitted. She calmed down, voice in a dry whisper.

"It's not your fault. Not your fault." She repeated, over and over. He rocked her back and forth. Eventually, she fell asleep in his hold. He placed a kiss on her forehead, and rearranged them so they could lie down.

 _It is my fault, Tsubaki. I wasn't strong enough. Please, understand it's not your fault. I_ am _the one to blame._ He thought. He held her, closing his tired eyes, continuing to tell her that it wasn't her fault.

* * *

On the eve of the fourth day, Tsubaki and Black Star left the room, shielding their eyes and squinting as the bright light from the lanterns hit them. They paused when they saw Maka, lying down in a sleeping bag on the opposite side of the hall.

Tsubaki stooped down and shook her awake, and Maka woke with a start.

She smiled at them, and sat up.

"Hi, Tsubaki." She said, crawling out of the bag and pulling Tsubaki into a hug. She squeezed Tsubaki tightly, and took a deep breath.

"We took turns waiting outside the door, in case you guys wanted anything. Everyone's waiting in the living room. Would you like to go see them?" She asked. Tsubaki and Black Star didn't move, ashamed. Tsubaki didn't know if she was really ready to face everyone. Stepping outside of the room was one thing. Stepping back into the world was another.

"Please, guys. We've been really worried, and-and this is hard on us, too." Maka asked. She glanced at Black Star, too, wanting to know his reaction. He avoided her gaze, but slowly nodded.

Tsubaki and Black Star held each other's hand as they walked down the hall. Maka walked in front, head down as she thought about things. They had not eaten anything they had brought them, and it showed, not just from the full plates they retrieved when bringing a new meal, but the paleness and frazzled states of their faces. She worried for her friend's' health. She supposed it may have been normal, but she didn't know from experience. She hoped that they would continue to get better as time moved on.

The fact that they'd walked out of the room was a step in itself.

Tsubaki and Black Star looked around as they entered the living room. Maka went to sit next to Soul on the red loveseat couch. Stein was reading a book, sitting in the hefty lounge chair. He glance up at them, marked his page with a bookmark and set it aside, resting his sharp elbows on the arms of the chair. Krona looked up at them from his spot on the floor, and offered a tired smile. Liz walked over to Tsubaki and pulled her into a hug.

Kidd followed, and to Black Star's surprise, Kidd gave him a hug as well. Awkwardly he patted Kidd on the back.

"You two are welcome to stay here for as long as you like." He said. Black Star muttered a "thank you".

"We've all been anxious. We didn't know what to do, so we have just been doing what seems right. I apologize if we've been a bit… overbearing." Soul explained, taking his turn in giving his friends a tight and sincere hug.

"Was the food too much?" He asked. Tsubaki blinked, and forced a shake of her head. Not that she'd eaten any of it, save for the few nibbles of a sandwich.

"No, I, well, we-we just…" She looked at Black Star, pain heavy in her eyes. They were welling up with tears. She turned to her husband and buried her face in his chest. This in turn made Black Star slightly angry as he understood why she was hurting so much. Why _they_ were hurting so much.

"Have you found anything?" He asked bluntly. Soul looked to Stein, since he'd been the ringmaster in all of this.

"No. The investigators haven't found a trace, save for a few, _ahem,_ furs? They're not sure what they would have come fr-

-Kidd, you remember the man we fought in the underground ten years ago? Soul, Maka, the man on the bridge?" Black Star interrupted. Even now he could see the man's wolf-like stature, sharp teeth and razor-edge claws. The mismatched eyes, and the tattoo of "no future" in place of the man's left eyebrow.

He glanced at them, and they nodded in return. He dropped his gaze to the coffee table, sending his most hateful glare towards it.

"That explains the energy signature I felt, but how did he get past our borders?" Kidd asked, taking a seat on the long couch. He crossed his arms.

"Can we not talk about this? Not now, please. Not yet." Tsubaki asked against his chest. Black Star nodded slowly. It was getting to him, too. He wanted to smash the ancient clay pots or the bust statues that decorated the room. He wanted to flip the table, and rage and rant.

Krona stood and pulled a large chair towards them, offering a small, yet sad, smile.

"Please, sit. It'll be better being out here than being alone. It's too dark by yourself." He asked mystically. Black Star sat down, cradling Tsubaki in his lap. She kept her face hidden from the others, buried in the crane of his neck.

"Krona, would you mind helping us carry some tea?" Maka asked, heading for the kitchen, Soul in tow. He nodded, and hurried after them.

Krona paused as he entered the grand kitchen, still amazed at the wonders it held. It was bright, neatly and obsessively arranged, nothing like Stein's kitchen, which held a meager mini-fridge and two-burner top stove. The sink was a fraction of the large sink Kidd had, and the counter space seemed endless.

He smiled to himself. All too often, they cooked with the spare chemistry equipment Stein had in his lab, using a Bunsen burner as a stove and a 500 mL beaker as a pot. He was sure he lacked fingerprints due to how many times he'd mindlessly grabbed the beaker without using a pair of tongs or a hot-glove.

The kettle had been set on the top of the fridge, and Maka stood on the ends of her toes to reach for it. She missed the handle by a few inches, backed off, and scowled at it. Soul chuckled at her and effortlessly reached up and grabbed it, and handed it to her.

She thanked him and stepped to the sink to fill it. The sink was much larger than their own. Two massive wells sat side-by-side, set into a granite countertop. The faucet had a showerhead option, and an ordinary tap water function, and it could be removed from the stand to use as needed.

She filled the kettle, put the stopper back on, and handed it to Soul, who set it on the stove, admiring the flat, electric top. He swore it heated faster than their gas stove, and liked the fact that they didn't have to bother with scraping off the sides to get the well un-stuck from the stovetop whenever they wanted to clean it.

"That was nice of you, Krona." Maka started, breaking Krona out of his amazed interest in the grand kitchen. He'd been looking at the myriad of spices arranged neatly on the spice rack when she'd called to him.

"Oh, well, I've never, I mean, I don't know how to handle… or interact… Um…" He muttered, fidgeting with his fingers in nerves. Maka clicked her tongue in pity. Ten years, and he still hadn't adjusted, it seemed.

She let it be, and gathered a tray of white teacups with a humming-bird design, the lip lined with a sliver glaze. Arranging a circle of saucers neatly on two trays, she grabbed a container of whatever tea Kidd had, opened it, and took a deep whiff.

She smiled to herself. The sweet, heady scent of Lavender mixed with the rich, dark Earl Grey tingled her nose. She used the scoop to add three scoopfuls of leaves to the kettle, then added one more, just for good measure.

She hoped that Black Star and Tsubaki would drink some, but she told herself she wouldn't be surprised if they didn't.

"Should I make something for them to eat, too?" She asked Soul and Krona. Soul shrugged, but nodded.

"Might as well. If they don't eat it, I will. You know that." He answered. Krona paled, but nodded.

"Uh, y-yeah. It'll be nice, won't it? But, it won't change anything." Krona responded, voice starting strong and softening to meek and mild. He fidgeted again, this time drying his sweaty and clammy palms on the hem of his shirt.

Maka sighed, her cheerful and calm mood suddenly destroyed. She couldn't blame Krona for reminding them, but sometimes, he really could be denser than a rock.

"No, it won't, but…" She trailed off as she thought perhaps she was forcing them to be happy, or worse, forget. Not that they ever would—who could possibly "forget" about something as damaging as the loss of one's loved one, let alone their child? It'd only been about three days now. She shook her head. She couldn't be expecting happy faces so soon.

"You idiot, Krona!" Ragnarok cried out, shooting out of the poor boy's back and bopping him on the head with a white-gloved fist. His eyes were bulging out of his skull, and Soul wondered if the weapon was genuinely pissed, whether at Krona or about what had happened, he couldn't begin to tell.

"Ow! Stop it! I didn't mean to!" Krona pleaded, swiping at the abusive weapon built into his body.

"Hey, hey, come on, chill! Not cool to beat up your partner." Soul called to Ragnarok, trying to get him to calm down. Every once in a while, seeing Ragnarok pop out of Krona's back gave him the creeps, and it reminded him of a creepy dream he'd had when he'd first been infected with the Black Blood that ran through Krona's veins.

Ragnarok stopped and glared at Soul.

"Well, he deserves it for being such a pussy!" Ragnarok argued. Maka sent Ragnarok a glare of her own, and he froze, and quietly withdrew into Krona's body.

The kettle whistled at them, throwing a stream of scalding steam into the air. She snatched it off of the stove, turned it off, and turned back around.

"I'll carry this; can you get those?" She asked, nodding towards the trays of teacups. Krona nodded and picked it up, trying to keep his shaky hands steady as he walked out to set it on the coffee table in front of his friends. He was tense, and it showed as he rigidly bent down and set it down, releasing an obvious held breath as he succeeded in transferring the expensive dishware without bumbling and shattering it all. He chuckled nervously, grasping his arm and gripping it so tightly his knuckles were white.

Stein fought a shake of his head, knowing the poor guy would take it as a sign of disappointment. Marie and he had worked hard in teaching him how to interact with others, providing counseling sessions for him to help reverse the psychological damage Medusa had left. Though he had improved much, he still had a long way to go.

"Thank you, Krona." He offered, reaching over and picking up a cup. Krona beamed. Maka filled it for him, and filled the other's cups as they claimed their own. Tsubaki and Black Star didn't move to pick up theirs, so she set it down on the table in case they changed their minds later. She wasn't going to _force_ them to drink it.

"We were just discussing the press. They've been up our assholes and around the corner. We shoo them away, but they're relentless. You'd think they'd leave after how many times we've threatened to shoot them with wavelengths." Kidd explained, bringing them back into the conversation they'd left. Maka sighed and rolled her eyes. She didn't care much for the attention, and neither did Soul. They'd only vanquished Asura because it'd been the right thing to do, and they'd all have been royally screwed if he'd been allowed to continue.

Krona didn't welcome the attention either, still being accused of being a criminal and a traitor. He'd cleared his name, but the occasional person still held onto the aspects of his previous reputation. "Old ways die hard", Marie often said, though it did little to quell his unease.

"We could distract them." Krona stated. They looked at him, surprised. It was a bold moment for the shy anti-social shut-in.

"There's no need for distraction. Besides, that would lead poorly for us. They might take it as us trying to cover up the truth… not that they _need_ to know it." Stein argued. He understood Krona's point, but he had a feeling Krona would go out of his way to do something... perhaps even scheme a petty plot that would further damage Krona's already shaky relationship with the people of Death City.

They sat in silence for a while, thinking to themselves, the ticking of the clock raking their eardrums, it being the only sound for a good amount of time.

Tsubaki slid off of the chair and sat on the floor at Black Star's feet, staring at the cup, though her mind wasn't in the room. She wondered what had become of their children's corpses. Were they in an icebox in a morgue? Were they being cleaned, preserved, and fixed up to be presentable in a casket? She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. Strangely, she wanted to see them, regardless of what they looked like. Was this desire to see the state of dead loved ones so soon an acceptable reaction?

She let her head fall back and lean against Black Star's knee. Brought out of his thoughts, he set a hand on her shoulder, and she took it.

Black Star took a breath, trying to release the tension in his facial muscles. He realized he'd been frowning, but the questions and thoughts swimming through his head frustrated him.

Stein had said they'd found furs, right? Would they be able to use that to track the bastard? Could Stein use it to take away the man's power? He _was_ a mad scientist, after all.

"Dr. Stein." Tsubaki called, not looking away from the teacup she had a stare-down with. Stein cleared his throat, and answered a "yes" when she didn't turn to look at him.

"What has become of Asa and-and Shira?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly. She refused to look at the man, fearing she would cry even more. Frankly, she was tired of crying. Tired of her eyes feeling swollen and her cheeks stinging with her tears.

"They are still in the morgue. I've asked them to call at my house or here if they discovered anything, or if something has changed." He answered calmly.

Tsubaki nodded, appreciating his straightforwardness and care. She stood, and finally turned to him, holding her hands in front of her.

"Will you take me to see them?" She asked. She'd looked him in the face at first, but her gaze dropped. She felt ashamed in asking, or perhaps it was fear. The uncertainty confused her greatly. Where had her confidence gone?

Black Star looked up at her, swallowing the guilty lump in his throat. He opened his mouth, not sure whether he wanted to protest or agree. He wanted to know, too, but the terror of seeing them dead haunted him.

"Of course." He said. He set down his cup and stood as well.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, turning red with embarrassment. She couldn't understand _why_ she was embarrassed. What was wrong with her? She only desired to see her children, she tried to reason with herself.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Tsubaki. The same goes for you, Black Star. I would say this is normal, but I don't know. We're all here, and we'll all work this through together." Stein assured. It pained him to see his former students so shaken, though he couldn't blame them. If he had gone through what they had at this age, he felt he'd react the same way.

She didn't answer, but slowly nodded her head. She turned to Black Star, and extended her hand for him to take. He did, giving a slight tip of his head. Who was he to delay things further? Sure, he was scared, but he was certain she was, too. Her decision gave him courage, and he wanted to stand beside her when their children were revealed to them.

The others looked up at them, wondering if they should tag along.

"We'll wait here." Kidd decided for them. They gave him a look, not appreciating the fact that he'd taken the option away. However, they all nodded. It was probably something Black Star and Tsubaki should do alone, without them over their shoulder.

"Krona, will you accompany us? I'd like to talk to you." Stein announced, grabbing his lab coat and throwing it on. He shrugged his shoulders to get it to fit in the right spot, and headed for the door, Krona close behind.

Krona's thoughts were racing. What had he done? Had he said something? Was he in trouble? He chewed his lip nervously as they stepped outside onto the dark street, the air somewhat chilly. The moon cried, sending blotted rays of moonlight to light their way.

Tsubaki and Black Star held each other's hand, following the two, not saying a word. They slightly dreaded what they were about to do, but felt a strange sense of relief.

The walk to the morgue was long, the trail winding in and out of the streets of Death City. Krona wondered why Stein was leading them in a zig-zag pattern when he knew the route was more direct. He didn't question him, though. Stein almost always had a reason for doing the things he did, even if they didn't make sense to most people. What mattered most, it seemed, was that it made sense to Stein.

The morgue was an eerie building to look at; the front door was tall, thin, and red, among a stone-grey foundation. It seemed like the contractor had built it straight out of a horror movie. It unnerved Krona to approach it, albeit for different reasons than it unnerved Tsubaki and Black Star.

They hesitated, mixed expressions on their faces. Stein paused before opening the door, and turned to face them.

"If you're not ready, we can wait. We have plenty of time." He said patiently. Tsubaki cast a glance at her husband, wondering if he felt the same unease she did. His eyes shouted his hidden terror.

"Are you… ready?" She asked. He forced a nod.

"Not sure, but I-I want to be by your side. Always." He answered. Her eyes softened, and she gave him a soft smile. It faded as quickly as it'd come when she looked back at the door.

"Yes. Let's go. It's-it is time." She told Stein. He opened the door for them, and held it as they walked inside. Krona followed, and Stein closed the door behind him.

The inside was just as creepy as the outside. A long, blue-tinted light shined down on them, casting a blue-hue on everything in the room. The tiles of the floor were black and white, though in the light they appeared an off shade of robin's egg blue. A wilting plant sat in the corner, and Krona felt sorry for it. It must have been wanting to die. He didn't _dare_ say the thought aloud.

Stein stepped up to the counter, blocked off by a thick pane of glass, and rung the bell, waiting patiently. The bell chimed through the room, sounding sour to Tsubaki and Black Star. A row of chairs sat lined against a wall, and to avoid saying anything he would regret, Krona briskly walked to them and sat down. For a morgue, Krona imagined the place would seem a tad bit more… lively and colorful, considering the people who came here were probably already in low spirits.

Just after Stein rang the bell, a tall thin man stepped up on the other side of the counter, wearing a white lab coat and a pair of thick, white examination gloves. There was blood smeared on the fingertips, and he pulled them off and set them in a trashcan.

"Yes?" The man drawled, eyes half-lidded, seeming very tired. His black hair was shaggy and unkempt, and he had a dark five-o'-clock shadow around the sharp, pointy chin and down his long neck, which disappeared beneath the man's green turtleneck sweater.

Krona found it odd that the man would be wearing a sweater, since it wasn't _too_ cold outside. Now that he thought about temperature, he noticed the hairs on his arms were standing on end. It was just as chilly in the waiting room as it was outside. Maybe, even chillier.

Krona stood and walked up to stand beside Stein, out of the way of the mirror, but just close enough to get a better look at the man stranger than Stein—which meant a lot, since Stein had a bolt as big as a small saucer sticking out of the side of his head. He could see the man wore a pair of black, baggy pants that hung loosely around his waist, even with a belt to aide them. His shoes were enormous, a plate of steel covering the toes. He wondered what purpose they served. Perhaps the man wore them to protect his toes, because he had a habit of bumping into things?

As he looked at the man again, he felt a shiver run through his body as he saw the man was slouched _down_ to talk to them through the window. This man was incredibly tall! Krona bit his tongue to prevent asking the man's height since, according to everyone else, it would be rude.

"I'm here for Asagao and Shirayuri Star. These are their parents. They wish to see them." Stein explained, gesturing to Black Star and Tsubaki with an open hand. As they looked through the window, they nodded.

"Ah, yes. Very well. Step to the door, and I'll let you in." The man said, his deep voice rumbling from within his chest. Krona watched as he stood up straight and pressed a big, round, green button on a control board built into the desk.

A loud buzz sounded, followed by a click, and the door opened from the inside as the tall man opened the door for them. Tsubaki and Black Star stepped bravely forward. Krona went to follow, but Stein stopped him and held him back.

"This is something they should do alone, Krona." He explained. Krona didn't question it, and went to sit back down.

"My name is Doctor Jebediah Manellatus, though I prefer 'Dr. M'. Please, follow me." He introduced himself shortly. They only nodded, too focused on seeing their children's bodies.

Behind the door, a large, wide-open space with more blue lights waited. The walls were lined with metal doors, like cabinets. The tiles were replaced with solid concrete, with a drainage hole covered by a grate in the very middle. The floor was slanted slightly to allow water to flow to the center.

There was a portion of the room offset with a table and a wall covered in hooks, from them hung various instruments they figured were used in autopsies. A circular saw with a myriad of blades. Different sizes of pliers. A rubber mallet. A metal stake.

They followed the tall man down the line of doors, and stopped when he did. A paper label that read: _Star, Asagao E._ typed in a neat, old-fashioned, bold, type-writer font marked Asa's container. The container directly beside Black Star read _Star, Shirayuri L._ in the same bold-faced typewriter font. They backed away as the man opened the door and slid out the table Asa's body lay on. He walked around the outstretched table and opened the door to Shira's body, and pulled it out as well.

He pulled the cloth down to reveal Shira's face, pausing just below the collar bone, not wanting to reveal the autopsy cuts and stitches he'd had to make. Tsubaki gasped and covered her mouth, and her breath caught in her chest. Black Star looked away, blinked a few times, and forced himself to look back.

Dr. Manellatus turned around to Asa's body and pulled the cloth down, and stepped back to allow them access. Tsubaki walked to Asa's body and reached out her hand to touch Asa's cheek, pausing to give a questioning look to the man. He slowly nodded.

"It is alright. It may help." He assured.

She placed her hand on Asa's cheek. It was ice-cold, a stark contrast against her own living flesh. Tears fell from her eyes as she stroked Asa's cheek, mouth dry. Black Star took hold of Shira's hand and gave it a light squeeze, slightly surprised to find that it was stiff in his hand. The bodies must have not gone out of their rigor-mortis phase.

"She's so cold." Tsubaki whispered sadly, looking up to Black Star. He looked back at her, unsure of what to say.

"Yes, it is to prevent degradation of the body. In a few days, I will begin the preserving and embalming procedures. Perhaps visiting the funeral home will help you to bring closure." The doctor explained. Tsubaki turned her head, slightly startled when he'd begun to speak.

"Oh. Yes, I-I suppose you're right." She muttered sadly, sniffling. She stroked Asa's cold, blue hair tenderly. Black Star grimaced as her words hit him, and he covered Shira's face with the cloth and turned away, wiping at his eyes.

"I can't. I just can't believe it." He mumbled.

"It will take time, but it is truth. Your daughters are dead. The only thing we can do for them now is give them a proper burial." The doctor said, pushing Shira's body back into the ice-box. Tsubaki took one last look at Asa, pressed her fingers to her lips, and then placed a kiss on Asa's cheek. She took a deep breath and draped the cloth back over Asa's face, signaling she was done. She walked around to stand by Black Star as the doctor pushed Asa's body back into place, and shut the door.

They joined hands again, and Tsubaki and Black Star walked back to the door, waiting for the man to open it for them again. As they stepped out, they noted a significant temperature change between the rooms. The waiting room was much warmer than it had been when they'd first walked in. They figured it due to the freezing temperatures of the body-containers.

"Ready to leave?" Stein asked, turning to look at them. He'd been staring at a few brochures sitting in a filing folder on a stand in a corner of the room, holding a few in his hands. He wasn't sure if he should call them on it, but they gave off an aura that felt somewhat better.

"Yeah. Let's go." Black Star answered, holding out his arm for Tsubaki to take. She looped her hand around his biceps, and walked at his side and out of the door. Krona left last, grabbing a few brochures for himself, wondering what about the brochures had attracted Stein.

Stein and Krona lagged behind, allowing the two parents a good amount of space. They would have a lot to talk about in the next few days, and Stein was sure they wouldn't appreciate their being over their shoulders at every minute.

* * *

Few notes: Jebediah "Manellatus" (Morningside in Latin) is the name of the villain from the horror series "Phantasm". As I was describing the character, I hadn't been thinking of the killer at the time, but after rereading the description, I realized that the description fit. Besides, since Dr. "Franken Stein" was used, I figured it wouldn't hurt too much to stick to the idea.


	4. Requiem Aeternam

This chapter made me cry while writing it, but I think it's a beautiful piece of work. Nothing much else to say here, but please review, as always! I will add an English translation to the verse in Latin listed further in the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 4

Dark, ominous clouds littered the sky, blocking out the weeping sun. A chilly wind swept over the land, sweeping the grass and whistling through the trees. The dying leaves rustled together like chimes, and the birds sang to one another, beckoning their mates and offspring into the safety of their nests, built in the protective crevices of tree's giant branches.

The scent of rain lingered, the grass damp and bouquets of roses set up at gravestones dripping with the musky precipitate which had fallen roughly an hour previous. The air was humid and chilly, and it made the nose run. Maka and Soul stood to one side of Tsubaki and Black Star while Kidd, Liz, and Patty stood at the other. Dr. Stein, Krona, Marie, and Spirit stood opposite the weeping parents.

They had yet to lay their white lilies, gazing sadly at the small black coffins. They were the smallest Stein and Spirit had seen in their near forty years of living in Death City. Spirit shuddered at the thought of it being Maka (or even Soul at this point, since he was Soul's father-in-law). He bit his tongue to refrain saying _anything_ , since he didn't want to cause any more distress for the parents in mourning.

Sid and Mifune stood to the side in silence, Mifune holding Angela's hand lightly. Mifune would miss babysitting the two, still upset about the way they'd died. It wasn't right. He'd promised to lend a hand in helping track down their killer, agreeing to give the final blow to Black Star and Tsubaki.

A mirror at the foot of the casket had been situated so that Lord Death could also witness the twins being laid to rest, as well as give them a final blessing. Justin cleared his throat as he finished the burial recital, and nodded towards them, taking a few steps back. He kept a calm, quiet demeanor, holding the copy of his book, watching as they set down their lilies one by one.

Krona stepped forward first, unsure of what to say. What was right? Would Tsubaki and Black Star be offended if he said goodbye? He blinked a few times, biting his lip as he contemplated. Finally, he settled on a sincere apology. Stein followed, taking a deep breath. He had plenty he wanted to say, though it was directed more towards his former students, being as they were still alive. Marie sniffled and rested hers beside Stein's, sighing heavily. They'd been wonderful, strong students.

Mifune went next, reaching into his pocket and placing a piece of kelp-flavored candy on the top of their caskets as well. Tsubaki saw, and let out a chuckling sob, her eyes lifting slightly. Black Star even smiled sadly, and nodded at Mifune. Asa and Shira had hated the bitter-tasting candy, but didn't refuse when Mifune handed it to them.

Kidd placed his, digging his nails into his palm as he saw one of the lilies was out of place. He fought to remind himself, this was _not_ the time, nor the place to worry about such a thing. His knuckles turned white and he scowled, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground as he fought to ignore it. Liz noticed his actions, and looked at the lilies. She gave a slight tip of her head as she understood what had made Kidd so frustrated. She calmly placed hers, put the stray lily in place, then stood next to him and took his hand.

"It's alright. I fixed it." She whispered. She felt him relax, and let the breath she'd been holding go.

Patty placed her lily next to Liz's, along with two stuffed giraffes.

"Play with these, ok?" She said to them. Liz gasped and turned to her sister, beet red.

"Patty!" She hissed, reprimanding her sister. It wasn't something she should say, not at a funeral!

"No, it's ok. Thanks, Patty." Black Star interrupted, trying to spare the girl some shame. Patty offered a grin and nodded at him.

"Kidd, would you place one for me as well?" Death asked, since he couldn't physically be there.

"Yes, father." Kidd stated obediently. Death cleared his throat, and they looked at him, listening as he began to speak.

"Do not judge a song by its duration, nor by the number of its notes. Judge it by the richness of its contents, for sometimes those unfinished are among the most poignant." He began, hands moving as he spoke.

"Do not judge a song by its duration, nor by the number of its notes. Judge it by the way it touches and lifts the soul, for sometimes those unfinished are among the most beautiful… and when something has enriched your life, when it's melody lingers on in your heart, is it unfinished? Or is it endless?" He recited. The others contemplated what he'd just said. Tsubaki, moved by the small speech, smiled at Death.

"Thank you, Shinigami-sama." She said, bowing her head lightly. He nodded at her, smiling beneath his mask, though they couldn't see it.

The poem gave Soul an idea of how to express his thoughts on the process, and the gears began to turn in his head. His fingers itched, and he fidgeted with the lily he held in his hand. He decided he'd sit down and play the piano in Gallows Manor later in the evening.

Maka tapped him, bringing him out of his musing, and they stepped forward, resting their lilies on the caskets. They looked up as rain drops began to fall, and stepped back so that Tsubaki and Black Star could place theirs. The funeral director had withheld their lilies for last, telling them there was "something special" about them.

Tsubaki and Black Star approached Mr. Charon, who handed the two their white lilies. Confusion spread across their faces, and they looked back at the man. Tsubaki fondled the petals of hers. It wasn't as silky smooth as lilies usually were, nor were the leaves and petals as thick. The stem was abnormally bent, and could be twisted in and out of shape and alignment. She wondered why they'd been given fake lilies.

"Even after the others have withered away, yours shall still remain intact, like your love for your children. They may be gone, but your love for them never will be." He spoke wisely, offering them a kind and knowing smile.

Tsubaki stared at him, tears welling in her eyes. The beauty and power behind the gesture surprised her, and helped her put into words what she'd been feeling, as well as quell some of the fears she'd been having. Mr. Charon was right. Just because they were saying their final goodbyes to their children didn't mean they would stop loving them.

She sniffled and lay her lilies down, telling them she loved them, and would miss them. She stepped back and wrapped her arms around herself as Black Star stepped forward and set his down. He wrapped an arm around Tsubaki's waist and held her close, not caring about the rain which was now pouring down on them like a shower.

They watched as the caskets were slowly lowered into the ground, and stepped patiently aside as the groundskeepers began to shovel the soil back into the holes. When they were done, Tsubaki stepped forward and knelt down, pressing her open hand into the freshly laid soil. She withdrew her hand, and left an imprint of her own hand.

Black Star did the same, smiling. It somehow made him feel better, and as he looked at his now dirty hand, he rubbed his fingers together. Feeling the grit of soil solidified what they'd just done. The hard part was over now, he felt. With Tsubaki at his side, they could power through and figure out what to do from here on.

The funeral director wheeled away the mirror that Death had used to attend the funeral, leaving the mourning people to take their time. Spirit approached Maka and Soul, taking them aside to talk to them, voicing his previous thoughts and fears.

He gave a solemn and relieved look as Maka thanked him and hugged him, even saying she loved him. It was a rare occasion, and he took it to heart, proud of himself for improving the almost non-existent relationship with his daughter, and proud of her for forgiving him and allowing him to make the effort. Soul was deeply moved upon hearing Spirit consider him as a "son", since he hadn't talked to his own father in _years_.

Angela yawned, and Mifune realized he had to leave. Not wanting to part without saying at least something, he rested a hand on Black Star's shoulder, who was still knelt down at the foot of Shira's grave.

"You're a brave kid, Black Star, and you are as well, Tsubaki." He said, looking at her as well. She gave him a soft "thank you" in response, and he turned his attention back to Black Star.

"My door is open, if you want to talk. I must go; Angela is tired." He offered, explaining his sudden leave and bestowing him with a compliment he hoped would reach them. They never ceased to bring change to his life, whether pleasant or upsetting, and he was glad he hadn't killed Black Star when they'd raided Arachne's palace.

Black Star didn't answer, but nodded to show he'd heard. He didn't have much to say at the moment, feeling sleepy and tired. He was struggling to contain his emotions, let alone figure out exactly what they were.

Sid didn't say anything, and left quietly. He'd been wondering _what_ to say. He'd thought of pointing out the idea that if Stein had been able to bring them back as zombies, as he was, their children wouldn't be the same. There would always be something off about them which would always estrange the relationships they had between parent and child. He'd noticed the same situation between himself and those he'd been close to in life. They couldn't look him in the eye, and shied away from him, as though feeling immense guilt. It'd taken weeks for Naigus to associate with him like they'd used to in life.

If Black Star or Tsubaki ever asked, he decided he would tell them then.

Tsubaki stood as Stein called out to her, and she walked over to him. He reached into his pocket and took out a candle, still in its plastic wrapping. He handed it to her and held her hand, patting the back of it lightly.

"This will magnify your emotions, and help you and Black Star to maintain an open communication. Whether you want to or not, I want the both of you to set aside a time, maybe an hour or so, and talk every other day. Doesn't matter about what." He explained. She nodded and thanked him, placing the candle in her purse. Marie pulled Tsubaki into a hug and patted the back of her head.

"I'm sorry this has happened. I can't put into words how I feel, but just know I really care. You two are good people. You can always come chat if you need to." She whispered, trying to watch her words carefully. She could be overly passionate sometimes, and mix her words up, which would only create mass irritation since someone would take the wrong message home.

"Thank you, Miss Marie." She replied, though Marie would probably be the last person she would talk to, along with Spirit, since she didn't know either one all that well.

Krona began to speak, stuttering over his words in nerves. He squeaked and froze when Stein set his hand on his shoulder, but when he recognized the ring on his hand, Krona relaxed.

"I don't know what to say. I've never had to deal with this before." He admitted, casting a sideways glance at something other than Tsubaki in embarrassment.

"You're alright, Krona. You've helped a lot just by being here." Black Star stated, joining hands with Tsubaki.

"Re-really? But, I haven't done anything." He argued, fidgeting with his fingernails. Black Star sighed, and shook his head slowly.

"What I mean is, well, um, thanks, Krona." Black Star stated, trying again to get his point across in a way that Krona could easily accept it. He held out his hand, offering for a shake. Krona smiled and accepted it, taking the thanks to heart. It made him feel much better, simply knowing that by seemingly doing nothing, he'd helped out. It didn't make sense, but the light and bubbly feeling in his chest told him otherwise.

"No problem! Hey, take us with you when you smash that guy! I want a whack at him!" Ragnarok shouted, popping up out of Krona's back. He punched the air for emphasis. Krona reached up to silence his weapon by pulling him down by the arm and clasping a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up, Ragnarok!" He hissed, worried the statement would cause Black Star and Tsubaki to be displeased in him. Ragnarok withdrew, and Krona spewed apologies repeatedly.

"It's ok. It's ok!" Tsubaki tried to console him. No use; Krona was wallowing in a pit of despair and agony, and wouldn't hear them. Stein and Marie shuffled him away, waving at them as they left. They'd catch up with them later after Krona had calmed down.

Black Star and Tsubaki turned back to stare at the gravestones they'd selected for their children. Two grey twin baby angels stood watch. The one at the head of Asa's grave played a harp, so chosen for her sweet and gentle nature. The one at the head of Shira's played a trumpet to reflect the boisterous and leading nature she'd had in life. A strand of silk made of stone connected the two, and wrapped around the base, careful not to cover the epitaph.

 _Those we have held in our arms for a little while we will hold in our hearts forever._

As the rain began to beat down on them even harder, Kidd looked at his watch. It was nearing four, and the sky would be darkening soon. It would get even colder than it already was.

"I'm going to head home. Ready to go, guys?" He asked them in general. Maka and Soul nodded, then looked at Black Star and Tsubaki. They shook their heads.

"Go ahead. We-we need a moment." Black Star told them, not turning to face them.

Understanding, Kidd nodded, and turned to leave. He paused, and looked at the umbrella he'd brought that he had forgotten about. It was leaning against a nearby tree. He opened it and held it between them. They looked up, then at him.

"Take it. I don't want you two to get sick from being cold and wet." He explained. They nodded and Black Star took it, leaning against his shoulder and stepping closer to Tsubaki to shelter her even more from the cold rain.

Satisfied, Kidd walked away, Liz and Patty at his side and Maka and Soul in tow, leaving their friends to mourn alone.

Tsubaki knelt down, and Black Star knelt with her, keeping the umbrella over the both of them. She dug in her purse for the candle Stein had given her, unwrapped it, and propped it up beneath the umbrella. Black Star fished around in his pockets for his matchbook he carried, "just in case", and struck a match, lighting the wick.

The candle lit and the flame lengthened, drops of wax spilling over the sides and onto the grass. The light in the darkening surroundings filled Tsubaki with a slew of emotions, and she leaned into Black Star's shoulder and took his hand, squeezing it tightly. His fingers were cold, and she was sure hers were, too. He popped the handle off of the umbrella and stuck the end of the umbrella into the ground, and wrapped his arm around her, kissing her temple.

"I miss them, Black Star." She whispered, voice thick with pain. He winced, and gritted his teeth as her words rang in his ears.

"I know, honey. I know, I miss them, too." He answered, holding his hand to his eyes in sorrow. Sobs shook their bodies as they wept for their loss, crying out as flashes of their children's happy faces appeared in their mind's eye.

"They were happy, right? They were happy, and good, and-and, we did well, right?" He asked, remembering his promise and determination to ensure they had pleasant lives.

"Of course, yes, they were! We never… we never…" She trailed off, wanting to say they'd never failed them, but how could it be true, when they'd failed to save them from the man who'd killed them?

Black Star shook his head, feeling angry.

"I failed. We failed them. He killed them, and we couldn't do a thing." He spat, fury coursing through his veins. His voice thickened, turning deep and menacing, and she shook her head, then nodded in agreement.

"We'll get him. We must. We owe it to Asa, to Shira." She decided. He looked at her and nodded, and held her face in his hands. He kissed her lips, her cheeks, her forehead, then pulled her against him to hug him tightly.

"We kill him even if it means our _lives_." He swore, burying his face in her hair, the scent of the gardenia shampoo and conditioner she'd used soothing him.

A powerful gust of wind picked up and they looked at the candle, hoping it wouldn't burn out. Instead of blowing out, it flickered once, twice, wisps of thick black smoke forming at the wind's futile attempt to snuff it out. They stared at the smoke for a while, trying to understand what they'd just seen. Their children's faces, smiling and joyful, formed from the curvatures and dissipation of the smoke before finally being carried away from the wind.

They blinked a few times, feeling an eerie, yet soothing chill sweep over them.

"Did you see that?" Tsubaki asked, wondering if she had indeed been seeing things in her state of distraught. Black Star nodded in confirmation, and let go of the breath caught deep within his chest.

The flame burned brightly again, this time higher and more radiant as before. They smiled and held each other tightly. Tsubaki glanced back at their daughters' gravestone, feeling hopeful.

 _Light shine strong, our woe be gone. We love you, Shira, Asa. With all of our hearts._

* * *

Upon arriving at Gallows manor, Black Star and Tsubaki took a moment to gather themselves, apologizing to Kidd for the destruction and loss of his umbrella. He waved it off; there were plenty more where it'd come from. They went to their room to change into some dry clothing, and met back in the living room upon Soul's request.

Soul went immediately to the grand piano in the corner of the living room, pulled out the chair, flipped up the cover to the keys, and readied himself. He hadn't played the piano for almost a year, and hoped they wouldn't mind if he was a little rusty. Considering he'd be playing with his entire being and practically pouring his heart and soul into the piece, it'd still be a beautiful piece of work.

He rested his hands on the keys. They were soft, sleek, and slender, the ebony-black keys a stark contrast amid the ivory-white. He pressed his foot against the pedals, testing out the pressures. The seat he sat in was cushioned and he was thankful for it; sitting on a wooden stool made his butt hurt after a while, especially when he'd rock back and forth to keep time with the music.

He struck a key, and "C" resonated through the room. The others silenced, and turned to watch, taken aback by the gesture he was making. He took a deep breath, and began to play, letting his fingers do the work and sound out the melody he'd had in his head all day. It was slow, the range of the tune small, something in minor.

Maka listened, and her chest ached. The song he played was sorrowful, full of regret and woe, but the countermelody rang out a light, heavenly tone. The piano offered a wonderful timbre, and the size of the room reverberated the song throughout their ears, giving them a full exposure to the elements of the music he played so passionately.

The crescendo from _mezzopiano_ to _mezzoforte_ , the quickened tempo, and the disjunction of the theme he played sent a chill down all of their spines. The turbulence of the piece made Tsubaki's heart cry, and she shivered, her breath caught in her chest. The blood rushed through her body at top speed as the piece hit a pinnacle of dynamics. She was glad she'd been sitting down; she might have fallen over from being so strikingly stunned.

The music stopped for a short moment, then continued, soft, sweet, and not quite as sad as before. Maka walked up to stand beside him as she saw a few teardrops trickling from his eyes. Adding further to their surprise, Soul's voice accompanied the majestic piano as he began to sing, his voice light and mournful.

 _Lacrimosa dies illa,  
qua resurget ex favilla  
judicandus homo reus.  
Huic ergo parce, Deus,  
pie Jesu Domine,  
dona eis requiem. Amen!_

As he sang the final chord, the notes from the piano rang out beautifully, leaving the patrons in the room speechless. He let his arms drop, and only lifted his arm to wipe at his eyes with his sleeve, sniffling quietly. His chest ached, and he knew it'd been a good piece.

They didn't lift their hands to clap, too mesmerized by the intensity of the music and the number of emotions it'd evoked within them. Soul collected himself and stood from the piano bench, and turned to face them. He was shocked to see not one of them had a dry eye. He hadn't meant to make them _cry_.

He scratched the back of his neck in nerves, stuffing the other hand in his pocket and shuffling one foot while leaning heavily on the other.

"Um, sorry, was that too much?" He asked. They all shook their heads, chuckling to relieve the immense tension he'd left in the room. Tsubaki walked up to him and pulled him into a hug. He cast a shocked glance at his wife, and then at Black Star. They could only shrug. Soul hugged Tsubaki back and patted her a few times.

"Thank you, Soul. That was a beautiful way to say goodbye, something only you could do. Thank you." She told him. He nodded, and agreed silently.

* * *

 _"That day of tears and mourning,_  
 _when from the ashes shall arise_  
 _all humanity to be judged._  
 _Spare us by your mercy, Lord,_  
 _gentle Lord Jesus,_  
 _grant them eternal rest. Amen."_

This is a passage from Mozart's _Requiem,_ titled "Lacrimosa". I wrote this chapter while listening to the entirety of _Requiem._


	5. Initium Novum

_Well, here is chapter 5 of this story. Sorry it took so long to get out there. The first semester is coming to a close, and of course, I have to bust my butt to make sure I get through it._

 _I've taken some past reviews and critiques into consideration, though it's hard to transition from spelling Crona with a "C" instead of a "K". I think I stuck with using a "K" because of the Japanese translation (as well as the way the name is pronounced) "Kurona". Still, alternate spellings for the character are listed as "Krona" or "Chrona"._

* * *

Chapter 5

The mid-fall air nipped at their noses as Tsubaki and Black Star stood at the gates of Dr. Stein's lab. Though it was morning, the sky was dark with thick, black clouds. The dying trees reached out of the ground like massive, thin fingered claws, ready to spring to action and snatch them up at any moment. The building was put together in a patchwork style, stitches placed unevenly.

Neither Black Star nor Tsubaki had stepped foot on the premises since their remedial lesson nearly eleven years ago, but unlike Maka and Soul, they hadn't had a reason to. Black Star opened the rusty black gate, the metal sticking his hand to it slightly. He hissed, winced, and peeled his hand off of the iron, and shoved it in his pocket to warm it.

Tsubaki knocked on the door, and Marie answered it, greeting them with a kind smile. She stepped aside and let them in, offered to take their coats and scarves, and hung them on the coat rack nailed into the wall. They looked around, never having been on the inside of the building before.

Dozens of rugs of many sizes covered the floor, strange yellow or blue designs disappearing beneath them. They wondered what the owners could be hiding, or even if they were hiding it from themselves or visitors. A slanted bookshelf stood against the wall, stocked to the brim with books of different shapes and sizes, as though Stein had planned to start his own personal library.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Marie offered. Black Star looked up and shook his head. He was on a mission, and didn't want to waste time sitting around and drinking something. Tsubaki, however, nodded. She was parched, and her lips felt dry. The oncoming winter weather was getting to her.

"Some water, please." Tsubaki replied. Black Star licked his lips, realizing his were dry. He rolled his eyes at himself, and called after Marie: "I'd like some too, please".

A door opened, and Stein rolled out of the lab, sitting on his chair backwards, like he usually did. His hair was disheveled, and his glasses were steamed. He took them off and wiped away the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his lab coat, and dried off his glasses with the hem of his cotton shirt. He slipped them back on and stretched, groaning in delight as his back popped loud enough for them to hear. He must have been hunched over and slaving away on a project of some kind for a while.

"I got your notice, and I must ask: _why_ in Death's name do you want to submit yourselves to shock therapy?" He asked, concerned for them. Had their depression sunk to desire of suicide? Were they asking him to aid them in offing themselves? He raised an eyebrow at them as Black Star scowled and crossed his arms, and Tsubaki looked away and at something random in the living room.

"The bastard shocked us, and we… we couldn't move. Every time I tried, I'd be shocked again. If I can, I want to null myself to being shocked so it doesn't happen again." Black Star admitted, face turning red and visibly shaking. In almost three weeks, this would be the first time they'd opened up about the incident. Despite their physiological responses, Stein took it as a good thing. They were definitely willing to persevere.

"I couldn't transform." Tsubaki admitted, voice small and timid. She sighed in misery, and closed her eyes, gathering herself. She opened them and looked Stein straight in the eye.

"Please, help us. Do whatever you must. Shock us, hit us with wavelengths, whatever. But we can't-we can't let this happen again." She asked, her shy demeanor replaced with one of stern, fearless determination. Stein blinked a few times, trying to process what they'd asked of him. He bit his tongue.

 _Damn you kids, did you not understand the way I work? By giving me full permission to do as I please, I might…_ His hand twitched, and he slouched down again to rest his forehead on the back of the chair.

 _It's a reasonable request, but, would it work?_ He thought to himself. He gritted his teeth as his hands itched, the desire to fulfill their request strong. He could shock them. He could shoot their body full of wavelengths! What could happen? Oh, the possibilities!

He shook his head, and snapped up, cranking the screw in his head, hoping it would give him a sense of clear sanity. Sadly, it didn't help, only fueling the mad thoughts in his head.

 _How_ would _shooting them full of wavelengths affect them? Would it amplify their own after a while, or would it shut them down completely? Would it only serve to nullify them to his wavelengths, and not all? If it shut them down to all wavelengths, would the enemy's wavelengths not have an effect anymore? How would it cause them to react to magic in the face of a witch?_

He blinked. Magic. Magic must have been the reason why Tsubaki couldn't transform. "The Bastard" had hit her with an anti-transforming spell. He felt his lips curl in a smile as he realized the fact. Now he knew it, and they could possibly work with this somehow. Perhaps Angela could be of use, though he doubted Mifune would allow it, not wanting to risk her being injured. Blair would be a better substitute.

"Here we go, sorry that took so long. I couldn't find a clean cup, so beakers will have to do." Marie's cheery voice bringing him out of his maddening thoughts as she emerged from the kitchenette with two 250 mL beakers in her hands. She handed them to Black Star and Tsubaki, who accepted them gratefully. The vibes Stein had been emitting started to scare them a little.

"Oh, no, it's ok." Tsubaki assured, taking a deep drink of her water to forget about the tension in the room. Black Star copied her, downing the entire beaker in a few large gulps. He sighed in thirst-quenched relief, and wiped at his mouth with his sleeve.

"Alright. I'll work with you." Stein announced, making his decision. He just hoped he had the self-control not to go overboard, though he doubted it would affect Black Star too much. The man's strength and durability were almost inhuman.

Black Star nodded and set down the beaker he was holding carefully. He took another deep breath.

"Good. When can we start?" He asked.

"We can start now if you like. Mind if I run a few tests and gather some data?" He asked, motioning for them to follow him into his lab. The idea of "tests" and "data" unnerved them a little, but they followed him anyway.

"Like what?" Tsubaki asked, trying to shelter the fear in her voice. It didn't work, but Stein offered them a calm smile as he picked up on it.

"Just basics. Heart rate, breathing rate, pain endurance, et cetera." He explained in honesty. Tsubaki's eyes widened. Pain? She didn't want to feel any pain!

"You're joking about that last bit, right?" Black Star asked nervously. Stein stopped and turned to face him.

"You couldn't move because you were being shocked, right? Your brain wouldn't respond to your body's attempts to move because it hurt you, right? Take away the pain, or even the fear of pain, and you'll be able to withstand quite a bit. Though, it's all in theory." He answered, turning back around and walking to his computer. He pressed the spacebar to get it out of sleep mode, then brought up a screen with a dark background.

"I can at least help you with wavelength endurance, but for magic, you'll have to ask Angela. Now that I think of it, perhaps Blair can help you as well. Who wants to go first?" Stein asked, all too eagerly. He gestured towards the examination bed.

Black Star looked at Tsubaki, who had a look of terror on her face. As he thought about what Stein was going to do, he realized Tsubaki would be in weapon form while fighting the bastard. Shock treatment might not be necessary for her. He cleared his throat and took off his shirt.

"I will." He stated, hopping up on the examination table. He took off his wrist guards and kicked off his shoes, dropping the wrist guards onto them. He sighed and lied down, staring at the ceiling. He tried to ignore the bright lamp shining white light into his face, but found it difficult. He settled for keeping his eyes closed.

Stein focused and held his hands a few inches away from Black Star's temples, suddenly doubting himself. Would he be able to go through with this and keep his sanity intact?

"Just to make sure, you're certain about this? Can't guarantee your safety, or your state of mind." He stated. Black Star scowled at him.

"Just do it, you batshit bastard!" He barked.

This set Stein off, and he shot a massive blast of energy through his palms, effectively shocking Black Star. He screamed and clawed at the metal bars of the examination bed. Tsubaki jumped and stared, helpless. It reminded her of how they'd first met the crazy doctor.

Stein stopped himself, muttering an apology. He'd acted out of anger.

Black Star's head fell to the side, and he stared off into the distance, mind shattered as it tried to process what'd just happened.

"I may be crazy, but you don't have the right to call me out on it." Stein growled, backing away and crossing his arms. He waited until Black Star craned his head to look at him.

"Still feel like going through with this?" He asked. Black Star nodded insistently.

 _And you have the nerve to tell me_ I'm _batshit? You're the one who's mostly sane, kid._ Stein thought as he readied himself again and shocked, trying to ignore Black Star's screams of pain.

* * *

Since Soul was training with Krona and Black Star was training with Stein, Maka invited Tsubaki to spend the day, just to relax. They'd found an out-of-place coffee shop where they could avoid being overheard by anyone they knew, and where the service was top-notch. Maka suggested the place, since she was a regular, and two stamps away from a free coffee.

"How's training?" Maka started, watching Tsubaki carefully. Stein had mentioned to Kidd, who'd passed along the message neither she nor Black Star had been eating as much as they should. It showed by the measurements he'd been taking for the last month. Tsubaki stirred her coffee lazily with her teaspoon, half-amused by the tinking sounds of the cup.

"Fine. We've come a long way, but I'm starting to run out of patience." She admitted. Maka nodded, chuckling a little. It sounded more like something Black Star would say.

"Want to share a sandwich? The ones here are so filling, I can never finish a full one." She suggested slyly. It was a total lie; she was starving, and felt she could probably eat two if she wanted. Tsubaki nodded slightly, though she wasn't in the mood to eat, despite being ravenously hungry for the last week or so.

She kept quiet as Maka flagged down the waitress serving them and ordered a club sandwich, with extra avocado "on the side". Tsubaki noticed, but didn't say anything. She didn't much care for the green, squishy food.

She felt out of place. In a slump. It was hard to tell where one day ended and the next began. Some days, the only motivation to get out of bed was knowing she needed to train. She didn't want it to be the _only_ motivation, but it worked for the time being.

Maka sighed. Tsubaki had hardly been speaking, easily irritable and seeming to avoid them all. Even the conversation she'd been trying to have was becoming awkward and tense.

"Am I forcing you?" Maka asked, hoping it wasn't the case. Tsubaki blinked and looked up. Forcing her?

Tsubaki shook her head.

"No, no, I'm just…" She heaved a sigh, unable to find a word for how she felt. Miserable. Exhausted. Her body seemed more and more tired with each passing day, and she hadn't done anything more strenuous than training.

Maka sat back in her chair, taking a sip of her coffee to settle her stomach, churning with unease and guilt.

"Want to do something else? Maybe this isn't helping. I just wanted to, well, help. I'm worried about you. Stein said to keep an eye on you guys. He-he mentioned you and Black Star haven't been eating." She admitted. Tsubaki looked up, slightly hurt. Sure, they hadn't been eating, but it was none of anyone's business.

"He did? Damn that son of a-

-whoa, whoa! Um, sorry I brought it up! Don't blame him, he just wants to make sure you guys are ok! We all do." Maka interrupted, trying to calm Tsubaki down. It didn't work, and Tsubaki picked up her coffee and sipped it through pursed lips. She drummed her fingers on the table and scowled at something in the distance.

The waitress broke the tense aura, approaching them with two plates holding a half of the club sandwich Maka had ordered. A tiny black cup held the pasty avocado, and Tsubaki plucked it off of her plate and set it on Maka's. Maka's eyes widened in joy.

"You don't like it?" She asked. Tsubaki shrugged.

"No. Not really." She replied, staring down at the half-sandwich. Maka wasted no time in eating hers, finished with hers in a flash. Tsubaki took her time, becoming more enthused about eating as it helped to settle her stomach. She had to admit, she did feel better.

She looked back at Maka, who'd finished off the last of the avocado with a spoon, and raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"You really like that green stuff?" She asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste. Maka blushed and nodded.

"Yeah, I do. I never used to, but after the waitress suggested it… I just can't resist." She answered. Tsubaki snickered, and shook her head. Anything green, smooth, and pasty reminded her of baby-poop.

Tsubaki turned her head to the side and scanned the room, listening in on other's conversations. A couple of college boys were talking about how cute the girls in the corner were, and as she looked at their spot, she sighed in relief as she realized they were talking about some other girls.

Ignoring the hormonal college boys, she continued to scan the room. A couple of women were chatting between each other, and she listened in, somewhat bored, and somewhat in need of distraction.

"My granddaughter started her period last week, the poor thing was terrified. I guess they no longer talk about these things in school. Daniel's a good father, but I don't think he was prepared for this, either. I should have told him when he was younger." The elder woman gossiped proudly. Tsubaki snorted, not believing how the woman was so proud.

 _Periods. They're not really something to celebrate, per se. The only celebration warranted is having one when you're sexually active._ She thought derisively. Her face fell as her thoughts began to wander.

 _When was… my last?_ She wondered. Her gut fell as she realized she couldn't remember.

Maka noticed the sharp change in Tsubaki's demeanor, and contemplated interrupting her. When Tsubaki's eyes widened, Maka called out her name.

"What's up?" She asked. Tsubaki had a scared look on her face, and she fidgeted with the napkin in her lap.

"What's today's date?" She asked. Maka looked at her phone.

"The ninth. Of November. Why?" She questioned, worried now.

Tsubaki blinked, desperately trying to piece her thoughts together. Without a calendar in front of her, it was useless.

She stood sharply and grabbed her bag, threw it over her shoulder, and began to walk out. Maka stood too, beginning to take off after her. She stopped, reached into her bag and threw down a fistful of dollar-bills and coins, hoping it was enough to pay. If not, she'd be back tomorrow; she frequented this place often.

Maka threw open the door, and looked down both sides of the street. Tsubaki's black hair waved behind her as she ran up the street. Maka took after her, not wanting to lose sight of her friend.

Panting, she caught up, though it was probably only because Tsubaki had slipped into a vacant alleyway to hide. She sat against the wall, arms wrapped around her knees.

"Are you alright? What happened? Did I say something?" She asked, worried.

"I don't remember when my last period was. I don't even think I _had_ one this month." Tsubaki blurted. As Maka's panicked mind caught up with her, she slowed as she realized what Tsubaki was talking about. She sat down beside her friend and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Um…" Maka started, though she didn't quite know what to say.

"I don't know. If I had a calendar, maybe I could be sure, but I hadn't even thought about it." Tsubaki continued. Maka turned and reached into her bag, fishing around for her planner.

"Here. It's not much but it should help." Maka suggested, shoving the now open planner into Tsubaki's trembling hand.

Ignoring the plans scrawled in pencil, Tsubaki flicked through it, searching for a date that stuck out in her mind. Had it begun October first? Or ended October first?

Her head fell back against the wall, and she stared blankly at the grey tabby cat waltzing along the balcony. Maka pulled her into a hug.

She looked up as some teenagers jeered at them, calling them lesbians.

"Fuck off, twig-dicks!" Maka barked at them annoyed. They laughed and walked on.

"Tsubaki… Are you-do you think you might be pregnant?" Maka asked bluntly, putting two and two together. She didn't need an answer as Tsubaki looked her in the eye. Tsubaki looked terrified and weary.

"Well, uh..." She thought for a minute, wondering what to do for her. There was only one option, really.

"Tell you what, let's go back to my house, and I'll go buy you a test, ok?" She suggested. Tsubaki nodded slowly, trying to process this information. Maka stood them up and walked to their apartment.

The inside was warm, welcoming, and Maka guided Tsubaki to the old yellow couch Soul and she had had since they were kids, grabbed the throw blanket over her and gesturing for her to lie down. She went to the kitchen and brought back a glass of water and set it on the table next to the couch.

"You should rest; take a nap. I'll be right back." Maka insisted, walking back out of the door. She hurried to the closest pharmacy, and bolted to the "family planning" section. She knew the pregnancy tests were here, since they were conveniently located (or maybe not so) next to the many varieties of condoms. She'd occasionally tease Soul about the fact.

She paused here, contemplating which one she should buy. Chewing on her lip, she looked at the different kinds. Deciding on the most expensive, thinking it would be most accurate, she snatched it and took it to the back counter.

The pharmacist offered her a smile.

"It's about time." She said, wiggling her eyebrows. Maka blanched, and shook her head, avoiding the woman's gaze. Normally, they were on speaking terms, but not today.

"It's not for me; it's for my friend." She said, blushing, keeping her attention unavailable by plucking out the money from her wallet. The pharmacist clicked her tongue.

"Hmm." She hummed, obviously in disbelief.

Maka grabbed the bag the woman handed back to her, and rushed out of the building and back to her house. Tsubaki was sitting up on the couch, and jumped when Maka threw the door open.

Maka wiped the sweat off of her brow and plopped down on the couch, amazed with how tired she felt. Sure, she'd run as fast as this before, but she'd run for much longer, and hadn't been as winded. She must have been out of practice, but they'd kept up their training regimen. They shouldn't be this far behind. Tsubaki clutched the paper bag in her hand, and headed for the bathroom.

This process had been awkward the first time, but this time, it was ten times as uncomfortable. For one, she was at Maka and Soul's house, and two, this was entirely unplanned.

Biting the proverbial bullet, she went through the motions, and washed her hands when she was done. She wished there was a clock in the bathroom or that she had a watch; she didn't know how much time had passed. She shut the lid to the toilet and sat down.

She thought about what would happen if it'd said yes. How would Black Star react? After losing Asagao and Shirayuri, was this something they deserved? Were they even _qualified_ to be parents again? Would this mean they were replacing Asa and Shira?

She shook her head at the last thought. No way would Black Star, or any of their friends, believe something like that; especially when they hadn't had intercourse after their children's deaths. She shouldn't even let the thought cross her mind.

She glanced back at the stick, and grabbed it hastily. There was a blue line, indicating: "Yes". She set it down, and took a deep breath, thinking. It all fit. Extreme fatigue. Hungrier than usual. Irritable.

Maka knocked on the door, asking if she was okay. Tsubaki opened it, staring. She only nodded.

Maka couldn't help but smile, and hugged Tsubaki, squealing with joy. Tsubaki half-heartedly hugged Maka back, still stunned.

"I need to sit." Tsubaki whispered, eyes droopy and tired. Maka nodded and let her go, sitting down on the couch with her.

"Will you be ok?" She asked. Tsubaki didn't answer, and stared down at her hands, folded in her lap. She was fidgeting with one of her fingernails, picking at it.

She didn't know how she could begin to answer the question, but her lips curled as she thought about the prospect of having another baby. She felt hope and happiness, and with it, a sense of dread. Remembering Maka was still waiting on a response, she nodded her head.

"Yes. I think so. I think things will get better." She answered, chuckling and pressing against her abdomen, wondering if she could feel anything. It was probably too soon.

She smiled as she imagined Black Star's happy face when she'd break the news to him. She lied back on the couch, and grinned at the ceiling. It filled her with such joy, she almost felt overwhelmed.

"I can't wait to tell- She started, but then stopped as the front door opened. Soul rushed in and threw off his shoes, rushing to the bathroom. Tsubaki had called out to him to wait; she'd left the box on the counter and the test was likely in plain sight as well.

Maka and Tsubaki waited in silence.

"Um… Whose test?" Soul asked, blushing madly. Maka giggled and pointed at Tsubaki, who raised her hand and gave a wave, chuckling.

"Congratulations! That's wonderful! When are you going to tell Black St-oh, crap." He stopped and rushed into the bathroom. He emerged shortly after, drying his hands on the hand towel.

"Black Star's on his way here. I invited you guys for dinner. I hid the evidence… unless you didn't want me to?" Soul asked, suddenly thinking against his actions. Tsubaki shook her head.

"It's alright. Thank you."

The front door opened again, and Black Star stepped in. Tsubaki stood from the couch, butterflies in her stomach. She hadn't had ample time to think about when she was going to tell him, let alone how. She'd supposed she'd do it later in the night, but with how giddy she felt, she couldn't resist.

She strode to him quickly and threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. She nuzzled her face in the curvature of his pectorals, finding the spicy scent of his sweat tingling her nose and driving her body wild.

Black Star was surprised, but collected himself and hugged her back, patting her head and kissing the top of it. Neither of them noticed Soul catch Maka's eye and jerk his head towards the kitchen. They slipped away quietly, leaving their friends to talk alone.

"Did you miss me?" He joked, smirking slightly. Tsubaki gave a soft snort, and grinned.

"Black Star, I'm pregnant." She admitted, squeezing him even tighter, to the point where she was shaking with the effort.

Black Star blinked as his mind went blank. As it caught up with him, he smiled, happiness radiating off of his face. He looked down at her, setting his hand on her cheek.

"Really?" He asked, the joy beaming from his eyes. She nodded, the smile still plastered on her face. He kissed her, hugged her, and then kissed her again. He picked her up and spun. He stopped with his back to the living room. He kissed her forehead and buried his face in her hair, sniffling.

"That's wonderful. That's so wonderful. I'm so happy. I'm so..." He trailed off and rested his forehead on her shoulder as he tried to collect himself. She held him, rocking from side to side.

Feeling "glad" he'd taken the news so well was an understatement. She sighed in relief as she understood and remembered he truly loved her, that he wanted their relationship to work, no matter what. That they were each other's lives, and even though their family had been taken from them, they'd still have each other to make it through.

* * *

 _I hope you all liked this. I think it was a sweet chapter. It's difficult to write about this, because I haven't experienced it myself._

 _Anyway, let me know what you think. I probably won't get around to writing much more until the weekend. Patience is a virtue._


	6. Confines of Imagination

_Wow, I'm sorry it took so long to get this posted! The semester is coming to a close, and I've been up to my eyeballs in tests, studies, and more lab reports than I care for._

 _Take a deserved break, relax, and read the intense chapter I've written for you all!_

 _Enjoy, and happy holidays, wherever you may be!_

* * *

Chapter 6

Krona meandered the streets, mulling the long-forgotten anxiety he felt growing within. Unlike his everyday anxiety, this particular sense burrowed its way to his core, wrapped around it, and strangled it. It made him tremble with terror.

He didn't know what time it was, nor did he care. His obsession with this looming dark emotion drove him mad, and he'd paced his room for at least two hours. He used every trick Marie, Stein, and his therapist had bestowed him with: counting sheep, breathing deeply, and to focus on various things in the room to serve as a tether to a reality safer than the confines of his shell-shocked mind.

It only created a sense of pressure and a prison-like enclosure, so he snuck out, stifling his soul wavelengths in hopes that Stein wouldn't pick up on them. Not like he wouldn't already have. Krona was certain Stein already knew he was panicking, since he would calmly point it out often.

The idea that Stein would probably be waiting for him in disappointment for sneaking out of the house made him more nervous, but it was strangely more comforting than this… unfamiliar sense. He sighed and shook his head. He'd rather deal with a disappointed Stein and Marie at this point.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the moon, a small smile of relief on his face. It disappeared as quickly as it'd arrived when he saw the moon was bleeding from its eyes and mouth. Something, somewhere, wasn't right. He looked around at his surroundings, wondering where he truly was, since he'd been so preoccupied with his thoughts he hadn't paid much attention.

There was a dark alley to his left, and a row of houses side-by-side. The sound of a whimpering dog emerged from the alley, and he snapped his head towards it, frightened. He summoned Ragnarok, on edge and ready to defend himself if need be.

"My, how you've grown, Krona." A hissing voice he hadn't heard in years stated, coming from the darkness of the alley.

His stomach dropped into his lower gut, and his heart fluttered in fear as it skipped a beat. He wanted to flee, but his feet felt incredibly heavy, as though his boots were made of lead. He raised Ragnarok, despite visibly shaking from head to toe.

"Show yourself!" He commanded, voice cracked and taught.

Sinister laughter emerged from the darkness, and he whimpered. He knew the degrading laugh well, etched forever in his brain, scarred onto his eardrums. It still rose from the pits of his inner hell, recurring in frequent nightmares.

"What's the matter? Don't you recognize your mother's voice, Ku-ro-na?" The voice taunted, emphasizing the syllables of his name.

"Sh-shut up! You-" He swallowed the lump in his throat, Stein's voice echoing through his chest, reminding him to be strong. "-you have no right to address me!" He finished, voice bellowing from the bottom of his gut. He was sure he heard the windows around him rattle from the boom. In the next second, a sense of pride within himself coursed through his body, feeding to his courage.

Overcoming the tremble, he stopped shivering, glaring fiercely into the darkness before him.

"You're not real. You are dead. Maka and Soul killed you." He reasoned aloud. He settled, and let down his guard, realizing he had no reason to keep it up. He held Ragnarok loosely at his side, and smirked.

Finding his feet were no longer made of steel, he turned to walk away, but stopped at what he saw. She was sitting on a crate, staring at her nails in mockery, legs crossed, barefoot. The damn black cowl she wore with the snake eyes on the hood stood out against her pale, scale-like flesh. He couldn't see her eyes, but he saw her evil smirk, and heard her hiss-like giggle.

"Is that _really_ what you believe? Foolish boy, so naïve! You haven't changed one bit." She hissed at him, stepping down from the crate. She began to walk toward him, and he backed off. He raised Ragnarok again, confused.

"Stay back!" He barked.

She laughed at him, ignoring his order as she continued to walk forward.

He lunged forward and stabbed at her, then slashed at her middle. Effortlessly she stepped aside, then jumped over his blade, almost like a frog and landed behind him. He turned, weapon raised to slash down on her as she struck out a snake-like tongue, but something stopped him.

He looked up first to see what had stopped his attack, and saw the handle of death scythe Spirit, then looked down to see who was wielding him. Stein stood before him, calm and stoic as usual, cigarette hung loosely in his lips and glasses rested on the edge of his nose. Krona blinked and stared, unsure of what had just happened. He jumped back, and held Ragnarok up defensively.

"Who are you? What do you want?" He screamed, terror still plastered on his face. Stein blinked, cocking his head to the side. Spirit transformed halfway, lower body still a staff.

"Think he's tripping on something, Stein?" Spirit asked. Stein fought a chuckle, and cleared his throat instead.

"Krona, it's us. Stein and Spirit." He said. Krona didn't break eye contact, not sure what to believe, considering he'd just seen his deceased mother clear as day.

"What quantum mindfuck are you going through, kid?" Stein wondered aloud. Krona blinked, brought to light. It was something Stein would say to break the self-destructive mindsets and plays he'd run himself through.

Krona relaxed, and Ragnarok melted and oozed back into his body. He dropped his gaze, ashamed. He'd almost killed Stein, unable to see the line between the world buried inside his brain and the much nicer reality.

"I saw her. Again." Krona admitted. Stein took a long drag of his cigarette. If Krona had seen her, perhaps it hadn't been a figment of his active imagination this time, since he'd felt a powerful energy signature before arrival.

But, he'd seen it himself. Marie had seen it, too. Maka and Soul obliterated the last traces of Medusa ten years ago. If it had been the wavelengths of madness Asura had emitted, Stein had no doubt he'd be seeing things too, sensitive to the madness within. It was a pain he and Krona shared, though Krona had a far smaller grasp on his than Stein did.

"Do you still feel anything?" Stein asked. Krona looked around, tuning in to his inner instincts. Nothing, save for a glimmer of immense power.

"No, nothing. Whoever it was must be gone by now." Krona answered. Stein sighed, and flicked the coat of ashes off of the end of the cigarette, taking another long drag of it.

"Hmm." He hummed, deep in thought. Spirit transformed fully, and crossed his arms, wondering what Stein had to say.

 _Odd. I thought I'd felt this same signature four months ago. Could I just be imagining things? It's obvious Krona was simply seeing things, since we'd been tailing him for a few minutes, now. But was it really something in his head, or is someone toying with his fragile brain? Poor kid; he can't get a break._

Stein chuckled, and shrugged.

"Let's get you home. You should know better than to sneak out by now. Just tell me you're going somewhere, and go. If we know where you're going, Marie and I don't have to worry quite so much." Stein stated, taking Krona under his wing and walking in the direction of his lab. Krona nodded slowly, slightly confused. He didn't need to sneak around? He could just tell them where he was planning to go?

"Oh, ok. I guess so." He muttered.

Stein paused to look back at Spirit.

"We should talk to the others about this tomorrow. Something's up with this wavelength. We need to be on our guard." He called over his shoulder. Spirit nodded, and began to walk home.

Krona was tired, more so than usual, and his eyes drooped as he stumbled home.

* * *

Stein, Spirit, and Krona sat on one side of the train's cabin, while Liz, Patty, Kidd, Ox, and Harvar sat on the other. Spirit was snoring loudly, head rested back on the padding of the couch. There was a line of drool trailing down his cheek from the corner of his mouth.

Krona stared out of the window, thinking. It'd been a few days since the eerie confrontation with the image of his deceased mother, and he couldn't shake the thought out of his head. He feared working with the others, since he didn't know if he would accidentally attack them in a moment of confusion.

Stein was reviewing the file he'd brought with him containing the reason they were on their way to Paris. A series of reports had been filed and brought to DWMA's attention. Over 50 people had been arrested or hospitalized, claiming they were seeing faces or full-body apparitions of the dead. He hadn't brought the news to Krona's attention, since the fact would likely scare the piss out of the poor boy. He wondered if there was a link between Krona and these sightings of the dead.

He hoped for Krona's sake there wasn't; those who still had their doubt about Krona's loyalty would have a field day if the information leaked out.

Kidd, and Liz were playing a card game to pass the time. Patty was coloring in a book, still entertained by childish things. Ox and Harvard were both reading a book they'd brought along.

The cabin they sat in was fairly large, though with the eight of them, it was slightly cramped. The window had been cracked open to allow fresh air and allow Stein to smoke if he wanted to. Out of manners, he hadn't. The couches were decorated with a blue leather, and the walls were patched over with a soft red fabric.

A ding sound caught their attention, and they looked up. A voice over the intercom announced something in French, and they looked at Ox, who they'd learned spoke a little bit of French. "Just enough to get his ass handed to him", he'd said.

"We should be arriving in about fifteen minutes, I think. Or she's said the train will derail in a few minutes, I'm not sure." He joked, smirking.

Stein reached over Krona's head and shook Spirit, who snapped upright barking out of surprise. He smacked his lips, then wiped at his cheek with the back of his hand. Making a face at the slobber, he used the back of his sleeve to wipe away what his hand hadn't gotten.

"What, are we there?" He asked sleepily.

"Almost. Look lively, we'll be splitting up as soon as we get there." Stein ordered. He reached into his pocket and retrieved three maps, filtered through them, and handed one to Kidd, one to Ox, and the other he held onto for himself.

"I've circled the places with the most occurrences, and divided them among the three groups. The red circles are yours to investigate, and the black circles are the other locations. Should go without saying, but Kidd, you, Liz, and Patty stick to your map, Ox, you and Harvar stick to yours. Considering I divvied them up according to your interests, it shouldn't be _too_ difficult for you to stick to the map." Stein began. Curious to know how Stein had marked his map, Kidd hastily opened it, and stared at the red circles. _The Louvre. Sacre-Couer. Musee d'Orsay. Place de la Concorde._

A bright smile spread on his face and he beamed in joy. He fought to keep his hands from crumpling the beautiful map as he realized he'd finally be seeing some of the most famous pieces of art from history.

"What, he's got the Louvre? Not fai-Oh, _wow_! _Arc de Triomphe_?" Ox barked, squealing from joy like a child on a roller-coaster. He turned the map to Harvar and shoved it in his face, pointing at another red circle on the map.

"He's given us the Gardens of Luxembourg!" Ox exclaimed, unable to sit still, bouncing up and down on the seat. Stein smirked, and handed his map to Krona so he could join on the excitement.

Krona tore his open, looking for the red circles. He smiled as he saw the _Notre Dame de Paris_ and the _Sainte-Chapelle._ He hoped they would have time to sit in one of the pews and admire the ancient tapestries and stained-glass windows, and perhaps listen to some secular vocals or some Gregorian chant. It made his ears tingle in pleasure at the thought.

The screeching of the train brakes tore through the peaceful musings of his mind, and Krona winced and covered his ears as the shrillness stabbed his eardrums.

"This isn't a pleasure cruise, Stein." Spirit warned him. Stein shrugged.

"I know, but come on. It's Paris. Don't tell me you don't remember sightseeing a little bit when we were kids?" He asked. He stood and stretched as the train came to a full stop, though couldn't stretch to his full potential as his hands touched the ceiling. He was too tall.

"Is our perpetrator a tourist? Aren't these tourist places?" Spirit asked, trying to shed some realistic light on Stein. Stein shrugged his shoulders.

"Does it matter? So long as we discover and capture whoever's behind it, that's all that matters." Stein dismissed. Spirit yawned, still sleepy from his nap, and shook his head.

"Fine, fine, you have a point." He reluctantly agreed.

They shuffled off of the train, gathering in a small circle just beyond the gate of the train station. Stein pulled back the sleeve of his coat and looked at his watch.

"Alright. It's 1:30 PM. Since it will be dark around 4:30, a majority of the places I've listed _should_ be mostly empty after that. Hopefully we can execute this mission without drawing too much attention from the locals. It's also the middle of winter, so the crowds should be much smaller than usual." He stated, looking at each of them. They all nodded back at him, understanding what was expected of them.

"Where should we meet when we're done?" Ox asked.

"We'll meet back here tomorrow morning. Most of the places I've circled are relatively close together, so if something happens, we should be able to reach each other within a timely fashion. If we haven't found anything, we'll stay another day." Stein decided. Kidd nodded in agreement and turned away, waving them goodbye, saying that he had "some art to admire".

"That's not what we're here for!" Spirit called after him, but his comment was ignored as Kidd continued walking away. When he turned back to the others, Ox and Harvar had already left as well.

He sighed and dragged his feet along the ground as he followed Stein and Krona. His bad attitude was quickly replaced when a cute waitress said hello to him. Stein pulled him away by trapping him in a headlock technique, continuing on their way to the closest landmark, _Sainte-Chapelle._

* * *

Liz and Patty stood behind Kidd, who had fallen to his knees in utter awe at the obelisk before him. Four sides, each the same length and width, carved into a beautiful stone. It looked rugged to the touch, but Kidd dared not touch it, worried the oils and sweat of his hands would erode away the obelisk's beauty.

"You shouldn't even be looking at it, Kidd! Remember what happened to Anubis' tomb?" Patty reminded him, laughing. The smile fell from Kidd's face and he wallowed in embarrassment. Of course he remembered. It'd cost them all of the souls they'd racked up, and they had to start from square one again.

Liz covered her mouth with the brochure she'd been reading about the history of the square they were in, took a deep breath, and turned her focus back on the article. Apparently, it'd been the site where King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had been executed via guillotine. She swallowed and grabbed at her neck, and shuddered. The history was appalling to her. Even more appalling were the statues of half-naked men with ripped torsos. It made her blush.

"What exactly are we looking for? Do we know what the person we're trying to catch looks like?" She asked, trying to get Kidd back on track. He blinked, and turned his head to her. No, they really didn't. All they really knew was that the person was casting some kind of spell on humans.

"Well, Stein had to have circled this place for some other reason than to give you a metaphorical boner. Sense anything?" She asked, pocketing the brochure and crossing her arms. Kidd closed his eyes and focused, sensing the myriads of souls around him. He saw the pink of his weapons, and the blue of his own, and the bright white of the human's souls. Among everything there was a faint aura, like a wispy thin cloud of dark green and blue.

"There's something. Not sure what it is though. Could be nothing." He muttered, opening his eyes and standing. He wiped off the knees of his pant legs and sighed.

"Let's go. There's three other places on this list, and I've already used up two hours. Not that it wasn't worth it." He paused to take a last admiring gaze at the obelisk, then turned to leave. Patty joined his arm and Liz walked beside him, trying her best to ignore the shocked gazes of the locals.

* * *

Stein gawked at the French gothic cathedral, mesmerized by the stunning color of the stone it was set in. The giant floral design of the stained-glass window beckoned to him, and he desired to touch it, eager to feel the sand-smoothed stone. The steeple stood tall, piercing the darkening sky, and a glow of candlelight cast an impression of the stained-glass's colors along the pavement they stood on.

"Come on, come on. Quit screwing it with your eyeballs and let's get on with it." Spirit growled, cranky and tired as he stepped forward and opened the door. Stein scowled and walked in, mood slightly killed.

"You have no appreciation for art." He grumbled. Spirit shrugged, held the door open for Krona, and closed the door quietly behind him.

Krona inhaled deeply, enjoying the sight of the towering archways and blue backgrounds, dotted with yellow stars and red trimmings. He looked around the room, and it seemed empty, pegs connected with chains to keep boundaries being the only inhabitants of the area.

He snapped his head to the left as he heard footsteps, craning his neck to look for something, anything. There were no people, no stairs. He shook his head, telling himself he'd only been hearing things.

"I don't sense anything here." Spirit announced, crossing his foot and tapping it impatiently. Stein shot Spirit an annoyed look, and took one last glance at the blissful structure. He didn't sense anything here, which meant it was time to move on to the next spot.

"Krona, we're leaving." Stein called, his calm voice resounding to the back. Krona nodded and followed them, doubting himself. He hoped there _was_ something, and that the sound of footsteps wasn't a figment of his imagination.

They stepped out into the chilly darkness, checking the map for their next location: The Notre Dame de Paris. It wasn't too far away, but in order to do a thorough search, they zigzagged through the streets, Krona silently on alert.

* * *

Desiring to see the gardens before it was too dark, Ox and Harvar strolled through the Luxembourg Gardens, taking in the delicate and sweet scents of the myriads of flowers still growing along the walkways. Death City didn't have such flowers and greenery available, so it was a pleasant change from what they were used to. Despite it being the middle of winter, most of the grass was still growing, covered with the dead leaves of fall.

Harvar didn't need to remind Ox what they were truly here for, trusting in his partner's ability to stick to the plan. He himself remained on the lookout for any peculiar signature, one that would offset itself from the average signatures of the humans around them.

He wouldn't say that Weapons and Meisters were above humans. They were human, too, but their signatures held a different, much stronger aura about them.

" _Excuse moi_?" Harvar heard a woman's voice ask to the side of them. Ox and Harvar stopped and turned to it.

A woman with beautiful, wavy black hair and a red pea coat approached them, a camera in one hand and a child's hand held in the other.

Surprised, Ox blurted out " _Oui?",_ which Harvar had realized in their short time here to mean "yes".

He watched as Ox and the woman exchanged words, handed him the camera, and pulled her daughter close to her side, smiling widely. Ox grinned, aimed the camera, and snapped their photo. He looked at it to make sure it'd come out right, but his face fell as he saw something far off in the distance.

He snapped his head up and saw the "thing" from the photo had gotten closer to them, appearing to be running straight for them.

He pointed at the thing, barked something, and the woman and her child turned, screamed as they saw what was running for them, and took off. Ox looked to Harvar, who wasted no time in transforming into the majestic spear. Ox caught him and ran for the thing, cutting it off as it ran through the field, heading for the woman and her child.

However, they slowed as they got a better look at the thing. It stood taller than a full grown man, with broad shoulders and thick arms. At the end of the arms, there were long-nailed claws. Patches of fur lie among slimy grey skin, as though this thing had a horrible habit of shedding or a bad case of canine scabies.

"Oh? It's my lucky day! Another weapon and meister! How tasty your hearts must be!" It taunted. This declaration sent a chill down Ox's spine, and he shuddered from the mental image. This man was eating people's hearts rather than their souls? This wasn't a Kishin, or even someone on the verge of becoming one; this was a _cannibal_.

Another weapon and meister? Death, had this guy gotten to one of the other teams? He couldn't imagine the others falling, especially since Kidd was a Shinigami, and Stein was, well, Stein. Stein was the most badass of them all, even if he was insane. No, they couldn't have fallen. This freak was messing with him.

"Who are you?" Ox demanded to know, trying to keep his voice stern. He didn't want this guy to know he was unnerved. The thing laughed, as though Ox's statement was the funniest thing on Earth, and wiped at his eyes.

"Name's Free. Haven't you heard of me?" He asked, snarling. Large gobs of slimy drool hung from the corner of the werewolf's lips, and his wet nose glistened with the reflection of light. Ox glanced behind him, curious. He hadn't noticed a tail.

"If you're a werewolf, where's your tail?" Ox asked, regaining himself. Free sighed, and growled.

"That blonde scythe-bitch chopped it off. It never grew back." He answered. Ox arched an eyebrow. Blonde, scythe-wielder?

"Maka?" Ox blurted.

 _You fool, don't give away people's names! This man's a killer!_ Harvar barked.

Free snapped his fingers.

"Yeah, that's right. Pansy-ass Krona wouldn't shut up abou-Whoa, hey, jackass, what's your problem?" Free barked as he backed off as Ox slashed at his neck with his spear.

"Don't insult my friends!" Ox ordered, enraged at the derogatory statements.

Ox rushed Free, not giving him an opportunity to recoup from catching him off guard. Free did a back flip, flinging a jail ball attached to a chain on his leg. Ox jerked his head back just in time, feeling the wind blow onto his face as the ball barely missed his chin.

Ox quickly jabbed at the ball and chain, effectively catching it and sending Free flying backwards a few hundred yards with a bolt of electricity. Skidding along the ground, he lay in a slump, immobile.

Ox jumped in victory, bolting out a "Yes"!

Encroaching cautiously to ensure he'd really incapacitated the seemingly difficult man, he gave a breath of relief as he saw sparks still shocking the man at each attempt to move.

Harvar transformed into a human, and stared down at the werewolf curled on the ground.

"That all? That was too easy. Guess we should find the others and report. At least we can collect his soul. Been a while since Kishin was on the menu." He suggested. Ox held out his hand, and Harvar transformed back. He thrust the blade of the spear in Free's back, expecting his body to lyse and give way to the red, speckled soul.

However, his body never burst, and a soul never showed.

Ox could hear the man snickering, and his gut dropped.

Free reached around, grabbed Harvar and ripped him out of his back. He shot Harvar with a purple wavelength, forcing Harvar to transform out, then lobbed him across the yard. He punched Ox in the gut, then grabbed him by the shirt, shocking him.

"How's it feel to be shocked, klutz? Not nice, huh? You bastard. That hurt!" Free growled. He brought Ox close, sniffing him. He licked at Ox's temple, and Ox screamed.

"Don't eat me!" He begged. Free snorted and held him away from him.

"Your heart won't be tasty enough. Not worth it. Even Pansy-ass Krona would taste better than you." He growled, shocking him again and throwing him back. Ox hit the sidewalk and rolled, groaning as he stopped. Each attempt to move sent a shock coursing through his body, which he found strange, since he _was_ "The Lightning King", and should have been nulled to electrical effects.

"Don't get in my way again, boy." Free warned, walking away. Ox tried to watch the direction he was heading, but as his vision blurred and faded, he felt his head rest on the ground and swirled away into unconsciousness.

* * *

Krona trembled. The feeling was back. The stifling, constricting, suffocating darkness he'd felt was consuming the area, drowning him in it. He couldn't tell if it was coming from inside the Notre Dame chapel, or if it hailed from some other place.

His heart pounded against his chest, his breaths became shallow, and he clutched the fabric of his clothes to wipe away the sweat on his palms.

"Stein. Stein, it's here. It's back." He muttered, low to avoid attracting the attention of others, but Stein could hear the panic in his voice. Stein focused, and sure enough, there was something there. In fact, it was headed their way… at top speed.

"Outside. It's not in here." He hissed, tapping Spirit, who was actually admiring the structures of the stone walls and the stained-glass windows. If the situation were different, Stein would commend him for taking an interest in the rest of the world they fought to protect every day. However, it would have to wait.

They slipped quietly outside, Stein and Spirit hiding behind one column near the door, and Krona hiding behind another. Spirit transformed into a scythe and Krona summoned Ragnarok, ordering him to be quiet.

They watched as a man approached the building, wearing a black and white striped body shirt and white pants, both of which were dirty as hell. A ball and chain clinked along behind him, rattling and thunking as he dragged it up the steps. Growing conscious of it, the man stopped to pick it up, then continued on his way inside.

Stein and Krona remained silent. They both knew who it was, and were surprised to see that the man hadn't aged a day. Krona caught Stein's eye, who held a finger to his lips, motioning for him to be silent.

Free stepped into the building, not turning to close the door behind him. A good thing, since Krona was sure he'd be spotted if Free had turned around.

They waited, listening for any ruckus inside. Hearing nothing but the secular chorales of the evening Mass, they slowly opened the door, sliding inside and sticking to the shadows of the columns.

They peered around the pillar, and both were stunned to see Free sitting in a pew, hunched over as though in prayer.

 _What should we do?_ Krona mouthed. Stein shook his head, and waived a 'w' sign with his fingers. Wait. They would wait. Krona nodded, watching. He tried to listen in on what Free might be praying about, but the man was too far away. His voice was lost amid the vocals of the choir.

They watched Free intensely. Krona guessed that twenty minutes had passed before Free stood, picked up the ball attached to his ankle, and walked out.

As soon as Free stepped outside of the door, Stein and Krona rushed for it, stepping back outside into the chill.

Free stood at the bottom of the steps, staring at the stars in the sky.

"Thank you for allowing me my prayer. If you can kill me, I applaud you." Free stated. Krona wondered if he was taunting them, or if he was actually being sincere.

"Are you the reason behind these residents going berserk lately?" Stein asked, getting straight to the point. Free turned his head and smirked.

"Got bored of going to you, so I figured I'd bring you to me. Human flesh is… no longer satisfying." He stated calmly. Krona shivered and felt a knot of disgust in his throat. He fought hard to swallow it. Devouring souls was one thing. Devouring other humans was another.

"So you _are_ the one who killed Asa and Shira? Why?" Stein demanded to know, holding Spirit's blade at Free's throat.

"Stein, you can't kill him, he's-

-I know." Stein interrupted. Krona closed his mouth. Of course Stein knew. Stein knew everything.

"I'll only answer that question to that blue-haired brat and his wife. Man, was she _hot_!" Free snarled. His ears elongated, and grew splotchy patches of fur, the lobes remaining a leathery grey color. The hair on the back of his neck thickened, and the skin on his face sprouted fur as his nose elongated and teeth sharpened.

He pushed Spirit away and bounded off. Stein chased after him, barking at Krona to find the others and then find him. Krona obeyed, forcing what was left of the black blood out of his back and in the form of wings, taking to the sky. He dug the map out of his pocket and looked for the nearest spot.

The Louvre. Hoping Kidd had stuck to the plan, Krona bolted for it. He tried to put away the worry on his mind.

He'd only been flying for a few minutes before something blasted by him. He stilled his wings, then hovered as he looked back at what had whizzed past him: a sphere of dark purple energy. Kidd's wavelength. He looked at where it'd come from, and saw Kidd waving him down at the top of a roof.

Krona swooped down, landing delicately on the balls of his feet. He'd put the ability to fly to plenty of practice.

"What the hell's going on? I felt something strong burst out, then it started heading west of here!" Kidd asked, slightly frightened. The level of power on this thing was close to Asura's.

"Stein's fighting Free. Find him; I'm going to find Ox and Harvar." Krona answered, free falling off of the building, catching the air, and weaving in and out of the streets, flapping his wings occasionally to keep him just above the rooftops.

He checked the map again, hoping they were at their third site, the _Arc de Triomphe_. He searched for the monument he'd only seen pictures of; a grand gateway, built to honor Napoleon's army and their victories.

He landed a few feet away in an alley, retracted the black blood, and hid Ragnarok, running up to the massive structure. He looked around, hoping to see Ox and Harvar, but he worried when he didn't see them. He scrambled to pull the map from his pocket, unfolded it, and then looked around again. He was in the right place. They weren't.

He ran back to the alley, unfurled his wings, and took to the air again, backtracking.

* * *

A gentle voice called to him, and Ox blinked slowly as he opened his eyes. He groaned and sat up, holding his head in his hands, which was swimming and pounding. How long had he been out?

"Good, you're awake. Come on, let's go. There's trouble. Stein's holding off the guy that tried to do us in." Harvar insisted, pulling Ox to his feet, brushing off his shoulders. A thin sheet of snow was covering him, and he looked around. A thin sheet of snow covered everything.

He felt a warm hand be pressed against his cheek, and he turned, surprised. Pink hair and jade eyes caught his vision.

"Kim? What are you doing here?" He asked, blushing madly.

"Kim? I am not Kim. But I can be Kim if you like." The woman said, leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. Harvar's mouth dropped and he fought to keep from laughing. Krona leaned over and asked Harvar what was going on. Harvar shook his head and told Krona not to worry about it.

The woman pulled away, and smiled.

"Thank you for saving my daughter and me." The woman said, turning and walking away. Ox stared, dumbfounded for a few minutes, then turned to Harvar and Krona.

"Wha-what?" He blubbered, beet red.

Harvard rolled his eyes and stepped forward.

"Come on, we have to go. _Cassanova._ " He stated, smirking as he transformed into a weapon. Brought out of his stunned state, Ox caught him and looked to Krona.

"Where are we going?" He asked. Krona motioned for him to follow, leading them into an empty alley, and unfurled his wings once more.

"Follow me, I'll direct you. We're gonna go find Stein." Krona answered, taking to the sky again, trying to ignore the flecks of snow as they clung to his eyelashes and clumped in his hair. His fingers were beginning to numb, and he hoped he'd be able to wield Ragnarok when the time came.

* * *

Stein hit the metal scaffolding hard, and he winced, as he was sure that it'd bent it a little bit. Kidd fired a shot that hit Free in the chest, sending him flying to the side as Free rushed to slash at Stein with his razor-sharp claw.

A rumble shook the ground, and a giant ice golem rose out of the small basin of water down the street from the Eiffel Tower. It pounded the ground, causing Kidd to lose his footing and stumble. He rolled over and dove out of harm's way as the golem reared up a massive hand and smacked where Kidd had just been.

 _It's strong, but slow. Perfect._ Kidd summoned his skateboard and rose up above, firing at the golem while skating in circles around its head. It covered itself with its hands and knelt down, biding. Small chunks broke off, but overall, his shots were ineffective.

"That's cheating, you little bastard!" Free barked, jumping up on the golem's back and leaping for Kidd. Kidd focused his fire on Free, but Free endured the hit and broke through. Free grabbed Kidd's leg with one hand, and the skateboard with the other, and jerked Kidd away, throwing him to the ground.

Kidd watched helplessly as Free snapped the expensive, multi-use board with his knee.

Angered, Kidd focused his power, calling for a soul resonance attack. Just when they'd gotten to 70% power, the ground shook again, staggering their process. The ice golem had stood again and struck the ground to stop him.

 _Damn, between this guy and the Golem, I can't do anything but dodge!_ He thought. He jumped out of the way as Free dashed for him again, stumbling as he slipped on an area of ice from one of the ice golem's steps. He landed hard on his back, smacking his head into the concrete. He saw a flash of blinding white and then spots of black, forced into a state of submission.

"Heh, stupid kid. You may look flashy and have big fucking guns, but when it boils down to it, you're fake." Free insulted, stooping over Kidd. Kidd was beginning to gain his senses, but his world was still spinning when he opened his eyes. He felt a cold, wet nose, and the rush of intake and heat of exhalation of air against his face and neck as Free sniffed him, and felt the sticky bristles on his tongue as Free licked the sweat from the side of his face.

"Despite looking like a bigshot and being as fake as powder-face beach bimbos, your heart seems be pret-ty tast-ty." Free continued, putting emphasis on his syllables.

Kidd watched as Free's claw appeared in his vision, rose up above his head. His eyes widened, and he screamed. He was going to die, just like Asa and Shira! He wouldn't even be whole in death, this freak was going to devour his heart! He cried out in pain as the claw stabbed into his chest, and he could hear his ribcage shattering in his head as Free pulled out his heart. Free opened his jowls, ready to gobble up his precious, frantically beating heart, when suddenly Free screeched and howled in pain as he backed off.

Blood splattered along the concrete and Kidd felt something hit his chest. A severed arm, shrinking rapidly, lay on his chest, holding his still beating heart. He looked at his savior: Krona.

Krona didn't look back. Instead, he turned his attention towards the ice golem. An almost wicked smile was plastered on his face, and he readied Ragnarok, focusing.

"Screech Alpha!" He barked, slashing a few yards away from the golem. A missile of energy shot at the golem, exploding on contact and shattering it, splaying chunks of ice of many sizes all about the area.

Seeing his successful attack, Krona turned his attention on the next enemy. Free was throwing a fit over the shattering of the golem, waving the stub of an arm. Slowly, the arm regenerated, and eventually Free was shaking a fist at him in anger.

"Stein." Krona called out. Stein looked up, slightly astonished with the change in Krona.

"Heal Kidd. I'll distract him." Krona ordered. It was unlike him. Stein had to admit, he was impressed.

"Go for it, kid." Stein agreed, getting to his feet and hurrying to Kidd, who, amazingly enough, was still conscious and alive.

When he took a closer look, Stein understood why. By some sheer amount of luck, Free's claws had missed every vein and artery. The entire system was still intact. He hadn't lost much blood at all, though he was sure Kidd's lung would be filling with it by now. He grabbed his medical kit and pulled out a pair of gloves, snapping them on.

"Take a deep breath, Kidd. I've got to get this hand off of your heart." Stein guided. Liz and Patty transformed, hoping he hadn't said what they'd thought they heard.

Liz screamed and reached for Kidd's hand, and Patty stared, wide-eyed.

"Is he gonna die?" Patty asked, tears filling her eyes. Stein shook his head, managing to peel away the middle finger, having just the ring and pinky left to pull off.

"I can fucking feel that, it feel so-so goddamn weird." Kidd stated, tensing and laughing. Spirit knelt down, clamping his knees around Kidd's head to secure it into place, and forcing his shoulders down against the ground to keep him from squirming. Stein would be needing as much stability as possible.

"Replacing your heart, Kidd." Stein muttered, trying to place the delicate organ back exactly as it should be: Aorta up, directed towards the back. He didn't want to accidentally twist the pipes.

Kidd forced himself to still, fighting laughter. It didn't even hurt at this point, mind numbed from the drugs his body was making.

"Stitching you up. Don't move, try to breathe normally. Still with us?" Stein asked, reaching for his miniature medical kit, retrieving a needle and thread.

"Kidd?" He asked, starting to sew Kidd up anyway.

"Make it even. For the love of Death, make it even!" Kidd answered, eyes lidded and shivering.

Stein ignored the comment and focused on stitching him up. When he was finished, he put Kidd to sleep, packed up, and stood, looking to see where Krona and Free were.

His stomach dropped, and he grew worried when he saw they'd completely disappeared.

* * *

 _Well, hope you all enjoyed this! I'll try to get more written in this, but it will take some time. Please post a review!_

 _Cheers!_


	7. Anointing of the Sick

_Whoo! It's Dead Week, which means no homework! So, plenty of time to write as much as I want! YEAH!_

 _This chapter is dark, I will warn you. I scared myself writing it. Please review!_

* * *

Chapter 7

Krona slashed at Free, who pushed Ragnarok's blade away with ease and rebound off of the side of a dense wall of energy. He lunged for Krona, sharp claw aimed at the young man's throat. Krona arched back and Free clasped his hand around air.

The darkness around them was suddenly replaced with light, and Krona hit the ground, hard. He rolled over as Free stomped at where his head had just been, and slashed at Free's feet. Free leapt into the air and landed a few feet back. He gathered himself, waiting for Krona to stand.

"I've underestimated you! What a surprise! Did you enjoy talking to your mother, pansy-ass?" He taunted the young man. Krona scowled, and didn't answer.

"You killed Asa and Shira. You destroyed Black Star and Tsubaki's family. You've hurt every single person I know… I don't know how I can possibly kill you, but I'll chop you up and spread your body pieces all over the world if I have to." Krona growled, staring Free down as he popped his back and prepared himself to fight again.

"Best work quickly, then. You still don't know where you are, do you?" Free asked, cackling. Krona looked around, and to his horror, he found he was in the outskirts of Death City. He squinted his eyes fiercely at Free, and held Ragnarok up in front of him.

 _Is this ok? Am I really… can I really kill this man?_ He asked himself, unsure. His heart felt weighed, and he shivered, wondering what Stein would say. Would he be reprimanded, or praised? Krona took a deep breath.

" _Don't be afraid to kill in order to protect."_ He imagined. It certainly sounded like Stein: realistically logical, yet serious. Yes, in order to protect his friends, he had to be prepared to kill. He'd done it before, but the supporting reasons had all been disturbingly wrong, selfish.

He smirked and held his head high, a newfound confidence welling from within. The reason to kill now was noble; he would be protecting all that he had learned to hold dear. Surely, it was a justifiable reason to kill.

 _I will just have to hold him off until Lord Death can send for backup. Please, please, hurry._ He thought.

Free howled and zipped forward. Krona stepped aside, attempting to stab at Free's neck. He'd probably have to decapitate the man, and even then, he couldn't guarantee it would work. He landed with his right foot briefly, spun on it, and slashed at Free's neck as Free rebound and tried to kick Krona in the stomach.

The blow landed, but not successfully. The metallic _zing_ rang out in their ears as Ragnarok sliced the man's vertebrae and severed the spinal cord. Free landed face-first on the ground, a cloud of dust rising out from underneath the giant man. Free was sure he would have shuddered from the eerie signals it sent along his body, but for the life of him, he couldn't move.

"You ass." Free growled, drool pooling out of his mouth. He managed to close one side of his mouth and swallow the saliva, but it was ineffective. His claws receded and his fur fell out. Krona stood over him, contemplating what he could do.

"What are you waiting for? Cut his damn head off!" Ragnarok barked at him. Krona sighed.

"It should be Black Star and Tsubaki. Why? Why did you have to hurt them so much?" Krona screamed, kicking Free in the side. Free groaned.

"You bastard! That hurts!" He barked. Krona looked toward Death City, and bit his lip nervously.

 _Why aren't they coming? They need to hurry! We're not that far away!_ He thought. He looked back as Free groaned again and coughed. He was still lying in the dust, blood still pooling from the open wound on the back of his neck. It must have been healing slower than usual.

"Like I'd tell you why! You don't deserve to know, pansy-ass." Free insulted. Krona shuddered as he felt his body chill. His nerves were gone, confidence beginning to drain. He scowled at Free in attempt to hold on to his bravery, raising Ragnarok over his head.

"You don't have the guts, kid. What, are you going to chop my head off? Just like your mother, you can't stand up to _anyone_ in authority. Isn't that right… _Ku-ro-na_?" Free hissed, altering his voice to mimic Medusa's sickeningly sweet voice at the emphasis of Krona's name. Krona froze, eyes widened and breath caught in his chest.

 _That's_ what he had heard. That's who he had seen that night: Free. Not his real mother. Free.

Krona blinked, and took a few steps back. He couldn't kill this guy yet; he had even more questions.

"How did you get in?" He demanded to know. Free chortled, and pushed himself up, getting to his knees. Shakily, he stood, reaching a hand back to feel the cut on the back of his neck. It was gone, but the fresh blood would likely stain his white shirt. No matter. It was tattered and torn from his transformation to wolf, anyway. It'd be discarded among the many others.

"Again, I'm not telling you." He stated, snapping his fingers. Strands of green snakes shot up out of the ground, and Krona screamed, slicing at them and trying desperately to get out of reach. Where he ran, they followed.

In a panic, he spread his wings and tried to take to the air, but as his wings flapped, the snakes grabbed the nearest one. Held down by his right wing, the snakes pulled him in. He gave another powerful flap of his wings, but only succeeded in having his left wing captured as well. The snakes threw him down to the ground and wrapped around his body, strangling him.

Free stepped up to him, laughing.

"You impressed me, boy, but in the end, you're still a pansy-ass nothing. You can't do it, kid. You can't do _shit_." Free insulted. Krona ordered the black blood to melt and pool around the snakes, then shoot up into the air as spikes, impaling the snakes.

This didn't work, as they only broke apart, multiplied, and wrapped around him again.

"I'm still hungry. You kept me from what would have been a deliciously tasty morsel. No matter." Free stated, turning toward Death City.

"I'll just make a new target." He stated, slurping and licking his lips. Krona fought against the snakes as hard as he possibly could.

"DON'T YOU DARE! I'LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR, I'LL KILL YOU!" Krona threatened. Free laughed even more, walking away.

"Quit struggling. I can't control them from a distance. Let me go, and they'll let you go." Free called over his shoulder. He paused, turning back.

"Anyone's death will be on you this time, pansy-ass." He stated before taking off at a run. Krona screamed and struggled against the snakes, mortified.

* * *

Maka picked up a peach, squeezing it gently. The flesh on the outside was nice and fuzzy, and the inside squished slightly beneath her grasp. She held it just beneath her nose and took a nice, big whiff, sighing happily. Her mouth watered, and she closed her mouth to prevent drooling all over the place.

Greedily she grabbed four more, one for each of them. She hoped it would sit well with Tsubaki; as far as she knew, neither of them had had peaches during their pregnancy. Maka had discovered a few days after Tsubaki that she, too, was pregnant. As she thought about it, their conception must have been on the same night… the same ill-fated night.

"Hungry, much?" Soul asked, carrying the reusable bag they carried their groceries with. Maka giggled and swung from side-to-side.

"One for each of us. I'm not going to eat _all_ of them! Geeze!" She retorted gleefully, continuing down the row of fruits and vegetables. Soul sighed and shook his head, wondering what bizarre pregnancy concoction she would make with peaches, and likely have him try. One night it had been sweet beets and strawberries, and another night, it had been Pringles and vanilla ice-cream. The former had been gross (he'd taken a reluctant bite) and the latter had been actually cool; the texture was fun and the mix of sweet and salty was a blast for his taste buds.

"Oh, good. I don't want you to do anything weird with peaches. You already did that with strawberries." He blurted, then bit his tongue as she sent him a glare.

"Oh, so I ruined strawberries for you?" She stated haughtily, putting her hands on her hips. Soul held up his hands, and shook his head.

"No, no, I just-I meant, um…" He looked to Black Star for help, who was staring at some squash with Tsubaki. Black Star wasn't paying attention, so his silent plea for help was lost.

"Hey, Maka, where are we making this dinner? You haven't said." Tsubaki called from across the row. Soul let out a relieved breath. His ass was no longer on the burner. He tensed, though, when he felt his wife's eyes back on him.

"Our house is fine; it's closer." He suggested. Maka nodded, agreeing with him. It'd been three months since they'd revealed the news of their pregnancy, and already when walking long distances, both women's feet hurt like hell.

They grabbed a few various other items and walked to the register. Maka and Soul offered to pay this time, since Black Star and Tsubaki had paid the last time they'd had dinner together. Upon leaving the store, Maka looked out on the horizon, a concerned look on her face.

"Do you think everyone is alright?" She asked aloud. Soul looked at her face, then off in the direction she was looking. He wondered what she might actually be looking at other than the setting sun which drooled as it dozed off into sleep. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"They'll be fine. They've got the best men for the job. I don't see Stein failing anytime soon." He assured her. She smiled, and began to walk towards their apartment, agreeing. The unease in her gut dissipated slowly as she reminded herself that Kidd and Krona were also on the team.

A scream sounded behind them and suddenly ceased. They all turned, frightened. It wasn't a scream signaling that someone had tripped over; instead, it was a bloodcurdling scream, almost as if someone had just stumbled upon some horribly disgusting scene. The scream meant bloody murder, and it'd been cut off mid-screech.

They scanned the streets, waiting for something, anything. People emerged from their businesses and homes, confused. An eerie silence spread among the street, the people on it not daring to ask what had happened, wondering if they'd only heard something.

Black Star stood in front of Tsubaki, grabbing the handle of a samurai sword Mifune had lent him. In truth, Mifune had plenty to spare, considering that he carried a case of fifty or so when he went on missions.

Soul stood in front of Maka, reaching into his coat pocket and holding the handle to his .45 Magnum. Kidd had ordered one for him shortly after revealing Maka's pregnancy. He didn't want to take the chance that because of her pregnancy, she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

Sure, Soul was a weapon himself, but without Maka, he couldn't do much, and even though Black Star was a meister, he couldn't wield him. Their wavelengths didn't match one bit, though Black Star had managed to pick him up off of the ground. Perhaps through years of being friends, their wavelengths had begun to match a tiny bit.

Maka shivered and grabbed Soul's coat. The powerful presence she'd felt from their unknown enemy on the bridge in London had appeared. No… it hadn't _just_ appeared. It'd popped up out of nowhere and hit her senses like a ten-ton brick.

"Soul, let's go. We have to get out of here. It's back. He's back." She whispered, tugging at his jacket. He turned to her, gauging her expression. She was truly concerned. They really shouldn't be staying.

He didn't have time to respond as the shattering of glass turned his attention back to the street. A cart had been flipped upside-down, and amid the clearing dust emerged a tall, broad, giant of a creature.

Soul scowled and ushered Maka behind him, pulling out the .45 and aiming.

"Black Star, take Tsubaki and Maka and run. Hide. I'll hold him off." He ordered.

"Like hell you'll do this alone! Tsubaki, take Maka, go. Don't worry. I got this." Black Star urged, taking Tsubaki's hand and kissing it gently.

Tsubaki didn't wait, and grabbed Maka by her shoulders, trying to pull her away. Maka held tightly, refusing to leave.

Free leapt up, grabbed a streetlight and swung around, flung himself off of it and onto the side of a building. He dug his massive claws to stay there for a few seconds, then jumped off of the side of the building, aimed for the four of them.

Soul pushed Maka back and dodged, landing a few feet away and aiming. With Black Star, Tsubaki, and Maka just past Free, he didn't shoot, not wanting to miss and hit his friends. He wasn't as good a shot as Kidd, though he'd been practicing.

Tsubaki pulled Maka to her feet and began to run down the street, taking as many left and right turns as she could. She hoped to disperse their scent among a wide range, since the only information they had on the man who had attacked them was that he was a werewolf. Perhaps they could confuse him and stall for time.

With Maka and Tsubaki gone and Black Star no longer in the way, Soul took aim and fired. The bullet hit the side of Free's head, splaying a small spatter of blood in Soul's direction. The hole only healed itself and the bullet fell to the concrete, jingling as it bounced once, twice, then rolled to a still.

Free snarled and turned his ugly head towards Soul, giving Black Star an opportunity to attack. Black Star slashed at Free's neck, not hesitating to attempt to decapitate their enemy. The slash was ineffective, and barely managed a scrape, even with Black Star's immense strength. Black Star's face fell and his eyes widened as the blade snapped in two.

It seemed normal weapons wouldn't do any sufficient damage at all.

Free slashed at Soul with a claw since he was the closest, but Soul dodged, rolling over and jumping out of the way again as Free pierced the air. Black Star intervened Free's attacks, slicing at Free's outstretched hands with the slightly shorter blade.

It didn't work as well as he'd hoped; the blade zinged as it slid across Free's radius and ulna, but didn't go any deeper than that.

Black Star grunted out of pain as Free backhanded him in the stomach, throwing him back and into a nearby building. A crater formed, and he fell to the ground, bits of rubble falling around him. Soul rushed between Black Star and Free as Free advanced, aiming between his eyes and firing repeatedly, genuinely scared. This type of combat was entirely different than what he was used to.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. _Click._ _Click. Click._

The sound terrified Soul. He was now out of bullets, and Black Star was unconscious, or if he wasn't, Soul was pretty damn sure he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

"Did you really think that would work?" Free asked, laughing heartily. Soul gulped, and stepped back with each advance that Free made. Soul looked behind him to see Black Star's condition. The man hadn't moved at all; exactly as Soul had thought. Damn, there went the idea of him transforming.

Free reached out and grabbed the gun out of Soul's hands and threw it across the way, then snatched Soul up by the shirt. Soul turned his hand into a blade and stabbed, then twisted. Free kept a firm grasp on Soul, and punched him in the face with his free claw.

Soul was certain he felt some of his molars chip, and felt blood flowing out of his nose. He turned his foot into a blade and kicked, stabbing Free in his chest, then tried as hard as he could to drag the blade down Free's body. Free howled and punched Soul again.

Soul's body turned back into normal, and Free held him close, sniffing him.

"What are you going to do, eat me? Fucking eat me, and leave everyone else alone!" Soul demanded, hoping to make a deal with him.

Free sneered and laughed again, then licked at some of the blood and sweat on Soul's face. He snorted and shook his head, as though it were the most disgusting thing he'd ever tasted.

"You're not tasty enough. But… I bet that scythe bitch of yours will be." Free sneered.

"Don't you _dare_! Don't you dare touch my wife! I'll kill you!" Soul barked, furious.

"Good luck with that." Free deadpanned. Free grabbed a tuft of Soul's hair and threw him headfirst into the building by Black Star, knocking him out. Free approached them both and sniffed them. He jerked his head towards the inner-city, sneered, and followed the scent he'd picked up. With both of their wife's' scents, he'd have no trouble in finding them.

* * *

Maka and Tsubaki heaved for breath, having stopped in an open alleyway. They'd been heading towards DWMA, since it might be their best chance for survival at this point; there would be no way the freak would try to break in. Every meister and weapon would be ready to take him down, and he'd risk getting himself thrown into jail.

"Think we lost him?" Tsubaki panted, leaning forward and resting her hands on her knees.

Maka gave her a concerned look.

"I don't know. I don't know, but we have to keep going. We can't stop." Maka wheezed, leaning against the wall. She took Tsubaki's hand and urged her to keep running, worried even more when Tsubaki wouldn't budge.

"Come on, Tsubaki, we gotta go. You can do this." She pressed.

Tsubaki stumbled forward slightly, a grimace on her face, but forced herself to move anyway. In a stumbling run, they continued toward DWMA.

Maka wouldn't tell Tsubaki, but she could feel the powerful signature inching closer to them with each passing second. She hoped Tsubaki couldn't pick it up.

They turned the corner, relieved to see the many steps up the hill. They were almost there. Just a few more hills to climb.

She held Tsubaki's hand and wrapped an arm around her waist, leaning Tsubaki against her for support, since it seemed Tsubaki was in immense pain. They ran up the steps, their legs screaming for them to stop. They couldn't remember the last time they'd pressed themselves this hard, not even during training.

A crash sounded out behind them, and Maka looked back. Free was on their heels, having bounded onto the large white steps from the top of a building, sending bits of concrete flying every which way.

"What was- Tsubaki started, turning her head to look. Maka stopped her, wrapping her arm around Tsubaki's head and keeping it pinned forward. Maka looked back again. Free walked towards them, taking the stairs two at a time, a menacing smile on his face.

People already on the stairs began to panic, heading towards the school or towards the city, desperate to get away from the creature.

Maka looked forward. _Three more flights to go. Three more flights, and we'll be-_

She was pulled out of her thoughts as Free grabbed her from behind and pulled her back. Holding the both of them by the collars of their outfits, he turned them to face him, chuckling. He looked from Tsubaki to Maka and back a few times, as though trying to decide what to do, and with which woman.

Discarding Maka, he threw her aside. She landed on the steps and rolled down, crying out in pain. Weakly she pushed herself up, looking up the stairs at the man and her friend, praying and hoping he wouldn't kill her.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Tsubaki choked, tears streaming from her eyes.

Free laughed and pulled her close.

"Why? Simple. I was bored. Wanted to stir shit up. Human hearts taste great at first, but nothing compares to the hearts of weapons, meisters, and even other witches." He stated, sniffing her again. He licked her cheek, the sharp bristles of his tongue rubbing against her skin. She shuddered and whimpered as he poked her lightly in the chest with his claw.

"Human adult's hearts are so bitter. Tough, gamey. But a child's… a child's is so sweet. So tender. Oh, how delicious your children's hearts were!" He continued. He lifted her higher in the air, shocked her so she was unable to move, then brought her close, deeply inhaling the scent of her chest.

"After yours has broken up, I can only imagine how tender it will be." He stated, drool dripping from his jowls as he spoke. He jabbed her in the chest with a sharp claw again and she cried out in fear and the pain of hearing him talk about her children like this.

"Do you wish it had been you? Tell me, do you wish to die?" He asked. Tsubaki sobbed, unable to answer. Did she? Ever since her children had died, she'd always felt a void, one she felt would never be filled. But, had she _truly_ desired her own death?

No. She had Black Star. She had the life growing inside of her. She had her friends. They'd been by her and her husband's side from the start of their plunge into hell.

"Would you beg for death now, knowing that your husband is _dead_?" He asked, tearing open the fabric of her shirt with his claw. She sobbed even harder.

"No, no, he can't be!" She cried. Free sneered.

"Oh, but he is. His heart was as tough as I'd imagined. Dark, bitter. He may have been strong on the outside, but on the inside, he was fake." He stated. She silenced, lip quivering. Black Star couldn't be dead. He _had_ to be lying.

"Know what that tells me?" He continued. She closed her eyes, not wanting to hear anymore. Against her wishes he continued.

"He didn't love you. He didn't harbor any love for you, any love for your brats, and any love for your friends. You were simply… a tool." He spat. Tsubaki screamed out of anger. His words weren't true. They weren't possible. Black Star had shown nothing _but_ love for her, for their children, and for their friends. Any mass of hate he harbored had to have been directed towards their enemies. Death knew most of it was directed toward his clan for the crimes they'd committed against humanity.

Free clicked his tongue and pressed the index finger of his claw against her temple. She groaned as she felt a weight on her chest, and felt an unnatural anger spread throughout her body, followed by flashes of memories… memories she knew were not her own.

"The nice thing is, the heart hold memories inside of it, too. And these…" He paused, forcing more memories into her head, "Are that bastard's." He stated. She fought to get her head away from his hands, but couldn't.

A memory flashed in her mind's eye. She saw herself on the night that Free had murdered their children, a crushing feeling of bitterness and anger rising within her chest. A feeling of blame. Black Star was… blaming her for their children's deaths. She couldn't transform. She'd been useless to him, and it was her fault their children were dead.

Tsubaki bit her lip and blocked out the thought. Black Star wouldn't think that. He'd said it himself not to blame herself, for it was his fault, though she refused to believe so. It was both of their faults, yet neither's at the same time. They'd failed, together.

Finally, one hit her, hard. She was naked, beneath him, one hand gripping the pillow her head rested on, and the other disappearing out of view. Her eyes were closed, mouth agape in a scream of passion, chest beet red as he made her body tense and shake with a powerful orgasm. She saw herself through Black Star's eyes, and along with it came nasty, cutting thoughts. She felt his presence in her heart, dark and spiteful. He hated her. Her eyes were weird. Her body, which she'd believed he'd blessed, adored, was hideous.

No, this couldn't be. Not Black Star. Not him!

As Free pressed his claw more intensely against her temple, the feelings of hate and disgust rose even more within her, drowning her in her pit of despair.

"That's… that's a lie!" She managed, voice sounding out in a strained whisper.

"These are straight from the source." He stated, a sneer on his face.

"Your husband, who hated you, is dead. Your children, who despised you, are dead. Do you still desire to continue on?" He asked again, a knowing smirk spreading on his face. He pressed his claw against her chest again, prodding at it.

Tsubaki silenced, out of tears. She felt betrayed, defeated. Even the loss of her children had been easier to swallow than what she'd just been shown. Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet Free's. Had she been uncertain, her eyes might have flickered back and forth between Free's right hazel eye and his left witch's eye, searching for an ounce of truth.

However, her gaze was stern, empty as she stared him down.

"You'll make it quick?" She asked. Her children were dead. Her husband was dead. Her soul had been crushed, and perhaps, in her final moments, her heart wouldn't feel any pain, having been removed so violently from her body.

Free blinked, and brought her close.

"Of course." He promised, voice thick with amusement.

She let her gaze fall to the side and turned her head, looking. Maka was still lying on the stairs, unable to get up. A thick cloud of black, billowing smoke rose from the distance, nearby where they'd first been attacked.

She blinked a few times, then looked back at Free.

"Kill me." She decided, staring him in the eye. Free sneered, and she could feel the tips of his claws boring into her skin, pushing between the ribs. Numbed and distant, she felt a strange sense of relief. An unnatural sense of freedom. Her heart beat strongly, then slowed as she calmed herself down. It would be over soon. His claw just had a few more inches to go, and-

She looked up at him, confused when he retrieved his claw, licking away the blood that dripped from them.

"No." He stated.

Her mouth gaped, and she stared at him, wide-eyed. He wasn't going to kill her? Death, she couldn't do it herself, always having told herself it was an act of cowardice. A final act that would show everyone how weak she was in life. A way that she didn't want her life to end, nor a way she wanted to be remembered.

He'd taken joy in devouring hearts. Her children's hearts. Her husband's heart. He'd even gone as far as showing her the grotesque and true feelings Black Star had had for her, buried deep within his chest. Free had filled her with the certainty, the _desire_ to die, and now he was going to deny her? What, was her heart not wanted, not strong, or tasty, or tough enough for him?

Her accepted way out of the hell he'd dropped her in, and he'd denied her.

"Do it. That's all you've talked about! That's all you want, isn't it? My heart?" She screamed, her gut tightening as she realized what had just happened.

"Timing isn't right. You, of all four of you, had the most to lose. I'm not done yet. Not even close." He stated, a sickening smirk on his face. She silenced, staring him down. She couldn't breathe; too stunned.

He pulled her close once more. She could smell the blood on his breath, the rotting flesh stuck between his teeth.

"I know you won't kill yourself. Why else would you have allowed me to kill you?" He stated. She was speechless, unable to come up with a response. He laughed at her inability to react.

"That being said…" He started, then took in a deep breath. He pulled her even closer, leaning his mouth next to her ear.

"I'll destroy every one of your lives until you have nothing left to live for." He whispered. He punched her in her stomach, then threw her down the steps. She rolled to a stop just beyond Maka, sprawled out on the concrete steps.

Tsubaki kept her face hidden in the stone, head covered as she sobbed.

"I know you've said you'll kill me… but now, do you really mean it?" Free stated as he walked past, away from the two injured women. He hunched over and bounded down the steps back toward the outskirts of town.

* * *

 _Well, I hope you are all as frightened by that as I was, though I have to admit, I do enjoy setting up the story. I already feel like I have been writing ten-thousand times better with this story than I have with any others._

 _Let me know what you all think!_


	8. Tumultuous Words

Hey, guys. I know, it's been a while, and I apologize. Winter break is supposed to be relaxing, but it honestly sucked balls. I didn't have any time to sit down and work on this story like I had wanted to.

Enough about me. You guys want to read. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8

Tsubaki opened her eyes, then shut them as a bright white light hit her senses. She grimaced and raised her hand to shield the light and opened them again to look around. She didn't recognize where she was, but as she tried to sit up, she realized something was holding her feet down.

She looked at the foot of the bed, startled as she saw who lay there.

Black Star was snoring, a blanket draped around his back and using her legs as a pillow.

She swallowed, finding her throat was incredibly dry. She wiggled her feet and called out to him, wondering if she was seeing things. The weight against her feet told her otherwise.

Black Star snapped his head up, startled as he felt the movements. He looked up at Tsubaki, grinned, and stood, wincing in pain as he neared her. He took her hand in his.

"I'm so glad you're ok! We were worried, we thought he'd killed you, but you're alive! I don't know… I don't know what I would do, if you were-If you…" He stopped, sniffling and fighting back tears. He kissed her cheek, her lips, and her hand. She didn't repay the kisses, the memories of what Free had said crashing down on her as they flooded back.

"Maka and Soul are in the other room, I'll go get them!" He stated excitedly, beaming.

She watched as he bolted out of the room, fighting with the contradicting thoughts in her head.

 _He lied. Black Star is alive. But, those memories, I… I saw them. I felt them._ At the reminder of the pain in her heart, she reached up a shaky hand and rested it beneath her breast, feeling a row of bandages. Tears filled her eyes.

What had she done? She'd _actually_ begged for death? From false information? The man had lied to her, and she'd bought it?

It made her sick, or perhaps it was the cocktail of painkillers she was likely on. She looked frantically, and saw a clean bedpan on the side table. She hastily grabbed it and vomited, groaning as the stench of bile and the fluorescent green met her sight. She spat the rest in it, then lay back, strangely exhausted.

She'd only been thrown around a bit, and he'd lightly pierced her flesh. She moved her hand to her abdomen, pressing against it lightly, hoping she could feel the slightly solid spot that was their child. Who was she kidding? She couldn't feel anything; even her lips were numb. Hopefully, she could at least feel pressure.

She pressed, harder this time as she felt nothing. Her heart raced in her chest, and her breaths caught.

Where… where had the child gone?

The door opened again, and she looked up, eyes wide and teary, the vomit-filled bedpan in her lap and her hand on her abdomen. Black Star slowed, his face turning sour as he walked back into the room. Blinking frantically to prevent tears, he approached the bed, removed the bedpan, and took her hand. His legs buckled and he plopped down into the chair he'd been sitting in.

"We… we lost him. You… miscarried on the way here." Black Star answered, mumbling against the back of her hand.

" _You miscarried"? Are you-are you_ blaming _me?_ She thought. Her brow furrowed and she scowled, jerking her hand away from him sharply, as though he'd bitten it. Hiding her face, she covered it in her hands.

 _It's as he showed you. Black Star blames you. There_ was _truth in his words._ She thought, sobbing.

"'Baki? I'm sorry. I'm so sorry this happened. We-it's not… It…" He trailed off, voice constricted with pain. He plunged his face into the sea of blankets that covered her, gripping them tightly as he wept with her.

Soul took Maka's hand and slipped back out of the door, shutting it quietly. This was a moment they needed to themselves. Maka took initiative, leading them out of the hospital and on their way home.

Black Star sniffled and reached for Tsubaki again, but stopped as she pulled her hand out of his reach. Confused, he swallowed the lump in his throat, trembling.

"What else happened?" He asked, the worry evident in his voice. She didn't hear it. She wouldn't. Tsubaki turned her head to look at him, a fierce angry scowl on it. She looked back and forth from one eye to the next. _His worry… it's fake._

Her eyes squinted, emanating her fury.

"Leave." She ordered. Her voice was deep, dark. It made him tremble. For whatever reason, she was furious.

"Wh-what? Tsubaki, why? What are you angry abou-

"Get out!" She barked, pointing towards the door. Black Star jumped at her actions, completely taken by surprise. He backed away, wondering what she might do.

"Leave." She said again sternly. Black Star blinked, heart heavy and aching in his chest. Slowly, he forced a nod.

"Ok. I'll… I'll come back later." He agreed, shuffling his hands in his pockets and heading towards the door. He opened it, and paused, looking back at her. She didn't look back at him, the same furious look on her face still there. He took a deep breath, and sighed.

"I love you, Tsubaki." He said, waiting for a response. His face scrunched in despair as it elicited no response. He forced himself out of the room, shoulders sagging and head down as he mused to himself. He wondered what he had done or said.

He blinked a few times. _She's angry about the miscarriage. That's gotta be it. I would be. I am._ He told himself.

He ignored the others in the hallway, wrestling with the feelings he tried to contain. He made his way to the exit, staring up at the sky through the glass-pane cover of the drop-off in front. It was pouring, again. It seemed to do nothing _but_ rain, these days.

He stepped out from under the shelter, shivering slightly as the cold rain dripped down the top of his head and down his back, underneath the jacket he wore. He didn't much care.

As he noticed some people staring at him, he felt the anxiety within multiply. He quickened his pace to get somewhere secluded. He paused at the top of a hill, looking in the direction of his house. He decided against it. It'd be too painful. Turning left, he located Maka and Soul's, but they wouldn't be home; they were still at the hospital. Kidd had dozens of rooms in the Manor, but he wasn't sure if they were home, either. Stein and Krona were also gone.

Letting his feet do the guiding, he wandered the streets, deep in thought. He knew he was dragging himself down, but couldn't shake it. He'd obviously done something wrong, but couldn't, for the life of him, know what. It only fueled his inner monster as it chided at him, breaking him down.

Head down in despair, he didn't look up until he hit a patch of green grass. Surprised, he looked up, and he sighed as he registered where he'd landed himself. The cemetery where they'd buried their children.

He walked along the grass, not caring that his entire body was soaked and that his boots made a gross squish sound as he stepped. He reached the path leading to Asa and Shira's grave, and followed it for a while.

He stared at the gravesite for a few hours, contemplating what had happened to Tsubaki, or what might have happened. Aside from the miscarriage, she'd had holes in her chest, as though the bastard was going to take her heart out.

There had been no one to stop him, and he hadn't been around when paramedics arrived. So then, why didn't he? And, why Tsubaki? Why _them_? Did she have a past he didn't know about?

Figuring he couldn't get any more sopping wet, he sat down at the foot of the graves, wrapped his arms around his knees, and rested his chin on them, struggling alone with his darkening thoughts.

* * *

Tsubaki was released from the hospital the next day, and Black Star was excited and relieved to have her home. They could finally talk about things, since she made it clear that she was upset. Black Star tried his best to keep from thinking it was fury at something he had done, but when she refused to look at him after he welcomed her in, his stomach sank and his heart ached.

He hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek, rocking from side to side.

"I'm happy to have you home, Tsubaki. I… I don't know what I have done, but I want to talk about it." He stated, laying out his plan on the line. She didn't answer, but gave a small "hmm" in response. His gut tightened. "Hmm"? No "Thank you", or "I'm happy to be home, too"?

He took her hand gently and guided her to the couch, sitting her down on it. He brought the back of her hand to his and kissed it, and then let their hands fall in between them. She didn't hold his hand back, and he swore he could feel the anger radiating off of her as though she were about to have an explosive chain-reaction any minute.

He grabbed his lighter and lit the wick to the candle Stein had given months ago, though it were just a stub now. He hoped it would hold out long enough for them to talk.

"So, um… what happened?" He asked. She closed her eyes, avoiding his gaze.

"He attacked us." She stated, giving a snarl. He noted it, but forced himself to stay calm anyway.

"I'm sorry. We tried to stop him. The sword broke, and then he knocked me out. Soul got hurt, too." He whispered, feeling guilty.

"Did you even _want_ to stop him?" Tsubaki hissed, standing up. Black Star brought his head up and stared at her, appearing as though she had just slapped him. He shook his head to clear it.

"What? Of course I did! I just-I-Our weapons didn't do shit! They didn't even scratch him! He kicked our asses, and we had nothing we could use! And I didn't want to use you because I didn't want to risk harming you or the kid!" He stammered, standing up as well, wobbling slightly. She was making him tremble.

"Oh, so because I'm pregnant, I'm of no use to you? Do you really hate me that much? Do I _disgust_ you?" Tsubaki spat. Black Star stared at her, flabbergasted. Speechless, he gaped at her like a fish out of water.

"No! No, I've never hated you! I-I fucking love you, Tsubaki!" He replied, voice begging for her to stop. She backed away from him as he stepped forward in an attempt to pull her into a hug.

"Don't lie! You blame me for Asa and Shira's death! Admit it!" She yelled, shaking with anger. Black Star froze. Was that what was eating at her? Their children's deaths?

"No, I never have. _We_ are a team, you know that. I let _you_ down. I couldn't stop him then. I couldn't even stop him two days ago. The first time, we worked together, and we… we still failed." Black Star whispered urgently. She leered at him.

"By 'we', you mean 'me'." She stated, the dark lump in her heart rising, constricting in her chest. Black Star tightened his fist, angry. She still refused to accept it?

"I don't blame you! How many times do I have to tell you that? What do I have to do to show you?" He asked. She didn't respond, and crossed her arms.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked, pacing slightly to prevent falling over. The energy he had made his legs weak, and he had to exert it. She kept her arms crossed and scowled at something sitting on a shelf of the entertainment center.

"For the love of-Answer me! Please! I can't-I can't resolve whatever's going on if you don't talk to me!" He pleaded, keeping his distance. His arms ached, and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, realizing he wanted to punch something. They'd fought before, but it had never been _this_ bad.

"Tell me the truth. You blame me. You hate me. And, all these years, I was too blind in trust to see it." She hissed, still seething. She turned her piercing gaze on him and he shuddered in fear. His lying was obvious; he was a terrible liar. From the way his body language screamed as he paced the room, avoiding her gaze to the tears in his eyes, it was all an act, one that she might have actually fallen for if Free hadn't opened her eyes.

"Fine! Fine!" He barked, throwing his hands in the air. She wanted to hear him degrade her, she'd get it, since he didn't know what else to do.

"They're out there, six feet under, and it's-it's your fault! _You_ failed me, Tsubaki!" He started, pointing an accusing finger at her. The words didn't come easily; he had to force them. As he continued, something within boiled and he spit out everything he could think of. "I did everything I could, and _you_ came up short! It's _your_ fault he attacked you, it's _your_ fault you couldn't hold that child, and it's _all_ because you're as useless to me now as you were back then! I—

He stopped abruptly as she smacked him across the face, hard. He stumbled backwards, slightly shocked, but collected himself and stood his ground. She reared back her other hand and slapped him across his other cheek, face red in anger and hurt, and he let her. Hell, he'd be her kicking post if it meant she could deal with whatever was going on inside her head.

"Whoa!" He looked up and ducked just in time to see a vial of flowers aimed for his head. It hit the wall behind him, shattering and splaying broken glass and peds of soil everywhere. He stared at her from across the room, stunned, watching as she heaved for breath.

"Get out of here! Fucking leave! You hate me so much, fucking go!" She ordered, pointing at the door. Black Star's mouth dropped open, and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. She was kicking him out?

"I don't-I don't hate. I didn't mean-

"OUT!" She bellowed at the top of her lungs as she grabbed a book off of a nearby shelf and chucked it at him. The book opened and the pages fluttered as it flew at him. He dodged it, too, and didn't waste another second. He bolted toward the door, snatched his coat off of the rack, ripped the door open, and slammed it as hard as he could on his way out.

Fuming, he walked briskly on the streets, grumbling. He even punched a crater in a nearby wall, not caring who saw or whose building it was. He turned to an alley and kicked a wooden crate across the way, shattering it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Someone asked behind him. He jumped and turned sharply. Soul stood there, hands in his coat pockets as always, bags of groceries hanging from his wrists. Black Star took a few deep breaths and leaned his forehead against the cool brick wall. His cheeks felt hot, though not from embarrassment. He reached up a hand to touch them, wincing as they stung.

"What, are you following me?" Black Star asked. Soul blinked, and shook his head. He stepped forward, grabbed Black Star's shoulder, and turned him to face front. He let go as he saw the red mark of a slap and the teary eyes.

"No. I was going to drop off some stuff, and see if you guys were okay. Doesn't look like it." He muttered. Black Star shrugged his hand away and turned his back on him.

"Leave me alone, ok? It's not your business." Black Star growled, wiping at his eyes. Soul fought an eye-roll, and decided to let him be.

"True, but, uh…" He paused. He'd wanted to call Black Star out on it, saying that he'd obviously had an argument with Tsubaki about something, and that Black Star probably _shouldn't_ be left alone, considering his anger had hit the breaking point. If he were to bust anything else up, the man would likely be arrested.

"I'm going home. Why don't you come with me? You don't even have to talk, but it'd be better than destroying someone else's property and getting yourself arrested." Soul offered.

Black Star sighed, and shook his head.

"Maybe. I'll meet you there later. I really need to be alone." He restated, though calmer this time.

Satisfied as he felt Black Star had calmed down to a point where he wouldn't risk being arrested, Soul waved goodbye and left, heading back towards his house. Considering Tsubaki had been the one to slap Soul, she probably didn't want to talk to any males anytime soon. He'd have to ask Maka if she'd go talk to their friend.

Black Star stuffed his hands in his pants pockets to shelter them from the chill, and continued down the open alleyway onto whatever street it led to. He didn't care at the moment.

As he looked down the street, he scowled. It was dark, cramped. He didn't feel like walking down it. He looked the other way, the street leading up a hill. He didn't feel like walking up the steep upgrade, either.

He grunted, turned on his heel, and walked back the way he came, towards the well-lit street. At least if he were to be attacked, he could see his enemy, and it was wider. There would be more room to run. Without a weapon, all he had were his fists, and without Tsubaki, he didn't know if he could defend himself well without her should he be ambushed by a swarm.

He heaved a heavy sigh, shuffling his feet along the sidewalk, eyes downcast and drowning in shame. He shouldn't have said those things. They made him sick. They weighed in his gut, and he wanted to vomit. Perhaps he could even vomit them away. He couldn't remember the last time he'd said something that had hurt someone he cared about.

His brow furrowed and he grew angry. Angry with himself, and angry with her. If she hadn't pressured him… if only she'd believed him, he wouldn't have said those words, and she wouldn't have kicked him out. He didn't even know how long it would be before he was welcome back, if at all. This was the first time a fight had escalated to this point.

Something had changed. She wasn't the same. Hell, was she even the same person? What on Earth had transpired between her and that bastard to make her change so drastically? Where was the sweet, loving woman he had married? Sure, they'd lost all of their children, but he'd done nothing but support her through it all. She'd supported him just as well, and maybe even more than he realized. Had the miscarriage been the final breaking point for her?

All the thoughts running through his head and the slurry of emotions spiraling within gave him a headache. He looked up from the ground, gained his bearings, and headed toward Maka and Soul's apartment. He wanted to ask Maka to talk to Tsubaki, and see if she would open up to her. Perhaps then, he could have a little understanding, and know where to progress from there.

What was usually a twenty-minute walk took what felt like an hour. Black Star found himself at Soul and Maka's door, shivering from the cold and sniffling back snot that threatened to drip from his nose. He wiped at his face to ensure there weren't any tears, though he had a feeling he'd still end up crying in front of his friends.

He raised a fist and knocked weakly on the door, waiting. The doorknob turned and the door opened. Soul peered out from behind the door, cautious. Ever since a burglar had burst into their house, Soul and Maka had always been a little on edge about answering their door. He closed it, and Black Star heard the chain slide out from the lock, and then the door opened fully.

Black Star hurried in, thankful for the warmth that enveloped his body. He kicked off his shoes and wiggled his toes to get them to warm up faster. He shed his cold leather coat and hung it on the post, and stepped further inside.

"I already asked Maka to go to Tsubaki. She hasn't come back, so I'm assuming she's still there." Soul explained.

He walked into the living room and sat down in the chair, leaning back and taking a deep breath, as though preparing him for whatever bomb Black Star was about to drop.

"What happened, man?" He asked. Black Star sighed and sat down on the couch, folded his fingers together and leaned forward on his knees. He kept a stern stare at the floor, collecting as much of himself as he could.

"Yesterday, when she woke up, she seemed pissed. At first, I thought it was because of the miscarriage, but it seems there was more to it, because she told me to leave." He started, thinking back to the incident. He sighed, shook his head, and continued.

"I thought that maybe that bastard had done something to make her so upset, but it seems that she was… that she's really mad at me. I-I don't understand why." He muttered, voice beginning to crack. He felt hot tears form in his eyes and his chest really hurt. He leaned his head forward, allowing his long blue hair to fall down around his face so Soul wouldn't see it.

"She asked if I really wanted to stop him, as if I didn't. She accused me of blaming her for Asa and Shira's-" He wavered for a moment, then forced himself to say it. "For their murder." He stated, throat constricted. He was trembling now, and clasped his hands together to get a grip on his emotions.

Soul simply listened, though his face was sullen. He felt truly bad for his friends, and found himself wondering what had happened to Tsubaki after Free had gone after her.

"She-she kept pressuring me to tell her the truth, and when I told her the truth, she didn't believe me. When she asked again, I, I," He stopped, shaking his head in shame and disappointment with himself.

"I told her what she wanted to hear." He stated, finally looking at Soul. He had tears falling down his face, which emanated the shock he had in admitting his actions.

"I said such horrible things, Soul. I shouldn't say such things to-to someone I love. To my _wife_." He babbled, holding his head in his hands and sobbing. Soul reached to the couch-side table, plucked out a tissue from the box, and held it out for him. Black Star took it to wipe his face and blow his nose.

He couldn't fight the tears, and they spilled over. He clutched his head in his hands, and wailed, rocking back and forth in despair. Soul stood, grabbed the blanket on the back of the couch, and draped it over his friend. He muttered that Black Star was welcome to stay for the evening, then walked into the kitchen to fix them both a rare drink.

* * *

Tsubaki growled as a knock sounded on the door, tossed the pillow she'd been squeezing half to death aside, and stood.

"I thought I told you- She hissed, heading towards the door and throwing it open. Maka jumped, hand still raised to knock again.

"Oh, Maka. Um… Come in. Keep your shoes on, there may be glass." Tsubaki stated, turning away and walking towards the couch. Maka stepped in, glancing skeptically at the floor and then following Tsubaki into the living room.

She sat down slowly next to Tsubaki and folded her hands neatly in her lap. She wondered where to begin. She wanted to know what the man had done or said to her, since she had fallen unconscious shortly after their being attacked. The last thing she remembered was the man holding Tsubaki in the air, blurry lips moving as they spoke.

But, how could she go so far back? She'd just had a fight with her husband that had ended in her kicking him to the curb and slapping him across the face.

"What do you want? Did Black Star put you up to this?" Tsubaki asked, not looking up from the still-lit candle stub.

Maka turned to stare at Tsubaki in shock.

"No, I wanted to come here. I want to know what happened, from your point of view." She explained, offering a stern look of reassurance. Tsubaki scoffed and shook her head in scorn.

 _Do you?_ Tsubaki wondered, scowling.

"I know I saw him saying something to you. He did something to you. I can feel it. Your soul, it's not the same. It's so, so heavy." She whispered desperately, trying to mask the worry in her voice. It seemed anything related to pity or sorrow ticked Tsubaki off easily.

 _Oh, can you now?_ She thought, sending a scowl toward her best friend.

It was Maka's turn to retort, and she sent her fiercest scowl and crossed her arms.

"Quit giving me dirty looks, and tell me what that bastard said to you! It's not like you, especially not like you to kick Black Star out." She hissed. This startled Tsubaki, and she gave her an almost drunken look, blinking slowly as her friend's words registered in her head.

She sighed, and averted her gaze out of shame.

"He told me Black Star was dead." Tsubaki started. Hearing the words, and knowing that Black Star was still alive, the words sounded foolish to have believed.

She shuddered, and lightly touched the wrappings on her chest.

"But, he's not. Tsubaki, he lied to you. What else did he tell you? For all we know, he could have been lying about that, too." Maka suggested, curious to know what else had been said. She felt there was more to the situation than being lied to about Black Star's status.

Tsubaki sighed, and stared at her knees. She felt the pit of anger and hate rise within again, and her chest ached from the building hurricane of emotions. She took a deep breath and made a list of all the things he had said or shown to her, and shot them down one by one as she reminded herself they weren't true.

She sucked in a breath as she remembered the weight of the memories on her heart. Her brow furrowed and she scowled at the floor, angered with herself. She still couldn't believe she'd accepted those lies as true without searching for the truth herself. Her gut sank and churned, and she began to tremble with rage.

"I'm such an idiot." She hissed. She shook her head in disbelief. Maka wasn't sure she had heard correctly, and opened her mouth to ask Tsubaki to repeat herself, but stopped as Tsubaki said it again, louder and more sternly.

"I can't believe I-I-" She stuttered, stood, and began to pace back and forth. Maka only watched, confused.

"He fed me bullshit, and I ate it! All of it!" She spat, pointing at something random in the distance. Maka let go of the tense breath she'd been holding and gave a soft smile.

"Tsubaki… It's ok, you know. You just said it yourself. Everything he told you was bullshit." Maka whispered.

"I gotta apologize. Where's Black Star?" She asked urgently, beginning to pace even quicker, a desperate look in her eye.

"He's… at our house. Soul invited him to stop by, and sent me to check up on you." She answered. Tsubaki rushed for the front door and snatched her coat, throwing it on.

Maka hurried to her and stopped her before she could leave.

"Wait! Wait, I'll send him home. You just… sit tight. When he gets here, you can talk things over with him, ok?" Maka stated, figuring that they would need plenty of time alone to talk about their fight. Tsubaki stopped and stared at Maka. She wanted to apologize straightaway, but as she thought about it, perhaps Maka was right. She'd need time to prepare herself, and who knew if Black Star wanted to come back so soon?

She nodded and stepped aside to let Maka through.

"I'll send him home. Good luck." She wished. Tsubaki gave a slight nod and walked to the open door. She shut the door as Maka left, heaved a deep sigh, and rested her forehead against the back of it. It was cool, a stark contrast to her warm skin.

She turned back around to the flowers she had thrown previously, set upright in a new vase. She shook her head in disappointment of herself, shuffled her feet along the floor, and walked to the couch, to sit back down and squeeze the pillow in self-wallowing shame.

* * *

Next chapter will be up soon, hopefully, I promise!


	9. Love

_Hey, I'm sorry it took so long to update. Been having a blast with life, school, and love._

 _Enjoy chapter 9!_

* * *

Months had passed since Free's attack, and the onset of summer made the days swelter from heat waves that swept across the desert. The barrier helped shield from the hundred-degree weather, but it still caused the denizens to drench in sweat.

She walked into their home, hot and tired. She took a deep breath, and picked out the scent of his deodorant amid the smell of leftover chicken from last night's dinner. They weren't talking like they used to, but if she were to be honest with herself, they hadn't spoken much since Free's attack and her miscarriage. They hardly even looked at each other, in public or in private, let alone cuddled in bed at night. Most nights they didn't even share the same bed. She saw him sitting on the couch, staring off into space. He didn't move when she shut the door. She dismissed it as though he hadn't heard anything, but a second later, thought that maybe he was still frustrated with her. They had fought about what to do with their children's room just after breakfast. In a fit, she walked out on him.

He moved his eyes to the black screen of the television, and saw her reflection. He had been staring at the blank television since she had left, trying to think through his thoughts. He had no idea what he was thinking, let alone how he should even be feeling. Regret? Anger? Sorrow? If anything, he was heavily confused.

She stared at him for a minute, and opened her mouth to mutter an apology or an announcement of her return, but closed it. _It's best to leave him alone…_ She thought. She looked around, and then walked down the hallway, past Asa and Shira's bedroom, and to their bedroom. She shut the door quietly, and leaned against it, feeling her eyes heat and water. The intense emotions of sorrow and confusion were nothing new, and she had completely surrendered herself to it weeks ago.

She wrapped her arms around herself and let the tears fall as she tried to keep her sobs quiet. Her chest hurt and her heart ached. She didn't know whether she was frustrated with her inability to see from his point of view, with his inability to see from her point of view, or overall, their lack of proper communication.

Even after Asa and Shira's death, they had some decent moments. They could cuddle, laugh and tickle each other, basking in the other's support and comfort. But, after Free's attack and her miscarriage, it seemed they hated each other now.

Before Asa and Shira's death, and before their birth, she remembered when they stole any opportunity to be with each other. Someone's voice (she couldn't remember whose), rang through her head. _Love is made up of many things, infatuation being one of them. But when infatuation takes control of most of your actions and memories, Love doesn't have the same meaning. It becomes just sex. It is the same for the reverse. If there is no infatuation, or when one desires while the other doesn't, the love seems to lose its meaning._

She wiped her eyes, and looked at the mirror across from her, studying herself.

 _Is that it? Could it be that he doesn't desire me anymore? Does he not want me? Have we really lost what we used to have? All because we… All because we failed, as parents?_ She asked herself. She sat herself down on the bed, and grabbed a pillow. She hugged it tightly, thinking.

In the living room, he turned his head to the direction of his bedroom, watching her walk away. He felt his throat tighten with guilt, and averted his eyes, growing frustrated. His eyebrow furrowed, and his lips pursed. It took him a moment to realize what his expression was, and he blinked it away, and shook himself. They'd tried to talk, but neither could spit the words out, or gather their thoughts, too ashamed of them.

He wanted to call out to her, but the words would not escape him. He didn't notice that a tear fell down his face, and bounced off of his shirt. It rolled down the fabric, and hit his hand. He stared at it for a moment, and then jumped up off the couch, walking to his bedroom. The door was shut. He looked at the floor. The light made dark shadows where her feet blocked it. He thought twice against opening the door.

He leaned his ear against the door, and heard her crying. That sound stabbed him like a thousand knives, and he regretted not acknowledging her presence, especially with what they'd argued about earlier that morning. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He went to the bathroom, and stared at himself in the mirror, angry with himself.

 _What the hell is wrong with you, you arrogant bastard?_ He thought to himself. He stared at his chin, scruffy and unshaven, and his eyes, dark circles underneath them from lack of proper sleep. He heaved a deep sigh, and turned on the faucet, letting the water warm up.

After shaving and drying off his face with a towel, he walked to the door to their bedroom again, finding himself hesitating once more as he reached for the handle.

He scowled at his hesitance, and grasped the handle tightly, turning it and opening the door quickly before he changed his mind. She was sitting on the bed, holding a pillow tightly, staring off into space at the floor. She looked up at him, nothing to say, an empty look in her eye. It was the first time their eyes had made contact in quite a while.

As he stared into them, he suddenly remembered how pretty her purple eyes were, even as empty as they seemed at this particular moment. She stared back at his, and as she saw the life creeping back into his eyes, she felt her own glaze over. He rushed forward, pressing one hand to her cheek and scooping the other behind her neck, leaning down and placing a tender kiss on her lips. They were cold and chapped, uncared for, but he didn't care at the moment.

She gasped, shocked at the sudden move. She felt a forgotten wave of pleasure course through her body and after getting over the initial stun of the kiss, trailed her hands up his arms as she kissed him back. She squeezed his arm muscles, enjoying the way that they felt against her fingertips.

She stood up, wrapping her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. He moved one hand down her body to the small of her back, pressing her against him as he stroked her cheek with his thumb, rough and calloused.

He found himself biting her lip, and she sighed. They opened their eyes, staring at each other for a moment, lost for words. His eyes smiled at her, and hers welled up with more tears. He rushed forward and kissed her again, holding her tightly against himself as though she would vanish at any moment. She grasped onto his shoulder with one hand and wrapped her arm around his back, legs trembling as she fought to stay standing. In spontaneity, he pressed her against the post of the bed, running his hands along her sides and gripping her hips. He noticed that she had gotten thinner, probably due to the post-partum depression she was experiencing, but he forced the thought out of his head. He'd talk about it later. He kissed her cheek, making his way to her neck, which had also thinned. It made his heart cry. How could he have failed to notice the drastic change in someone he loved so much?

He snaked his hands down her back again, squeezing her butt, pressing himself against her, and she shuddered and whispered his name. He softly bit her neck, and she let out a small moan, grabbing his broad, muscular shoulders. Every kiss, every nibble, and every squeeze of his hands sent a rush through her veins that nurtured her soul, brought her to life and out of the drowning abyss she'd fallen into.

He kissed down the revealing line of her shirt, unbuttoning it as he went. She shrugged it off and tugged at his shirt, eager to feel his warm skin against her slightly cold but tingling skin. She had goose bumps from the change in heat, and as she pulled his shirt up over his head, he broke away to look at her once again.

Her skin had paled since the last time he had seen her this way, save for the blushes of red on her chest and cheeks. Her bra hung loosely on her shoulders, her rib cage a little more obvious than it used to be. He sighed with a concerned expression on his face as he trailed his hands along the skin of her shoulders and arms. She immediately became self-conscious, and crossed her arms across her chest, trying to hide her rib cage.

"I haven't eaten much. Not since…" She whispered, eyes downcast. He moved a strand of hair behind her ear and hugged her tightly.

"I'll be sure to fix that." He consoled her, wrapping his long arms around her small frame. She hugged him tightly, fighting the urge to start weeping in embarrassment.

"Honey, it's… it's ok. I-I still love you." He whispered, lips brushing against her collarbone.

"I always have and always will love you." He unlatched her bra, pulling the straps down her shoulders and he pushed her off of him lightly, letting it fall to the floor. He kissed her again, stroking her cheek with the pad of his thumb with one hand while hoisting her leg up on his hip with the other.

He pressed against her firmly, kissing and biting her neck softly, and teased her nipple, pinching it lightly and tracing his fingertips around it in circles. He pulled at the button on her jeans, pulling the zipper down and sliding his hand beneath the fabric, grabbing her hips and pressing against her between the legs, again, harder, purring a little from the sensation.

He got to his knees, kissing his way down her body, pulling her pants and underwear down and off. Her hip bones were definitely protruding, the loss of weight obvious here as well. He trailed a finger along the inside of her thigh, and she fought to keep from laughing—it tickled. He kissed her stomach as he slid a finger inside her, and she moaned. He grabbed her knee and set her leg up on his shoulder, prying her lips apart with his fingers and licking her clit.

She gasped at the sudden action, grabbed a fistful of his hair in alarm, then softened as he did it again, tracing circles around the nub with the tip of his tongue. Normally she kept herself trimmed, but in light of recent events, she hadn't bothered to trim at all. He ignored the fact. This wasn't about him.

He thrust another finger inside, scissoring and stroking her with the pad of his fingers, licking at her clit, giving it the occasional nip with his lips, and it wasn't long before she snapped, moaning and arching off of his fingers, tightening around him as well. She had dug her nails into his shoulder, leaving small crescent marks in it when she let go.

He unbuttoned his pants and let them drop off his waist; he always had a problem finding pants that fit him. He stepped out of them and hooked one of her legs around his waist while reaching down to get the other, picking her up and pressing against her to pin her between the post and himself. She wrapped her legs around his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on to his broad shoulders.

He slid himself inside, sighing contentedly at the warmth that enveloped him. She moaned, writhing in pleasure from the feeling of being as close to him as physically possible. He looked her in the eyes, kissed her again, and she tried to thrust her hips, silently begging him to move.

He obliged, pulling out and thrusting in again, grunting from the feeling. He pinned her against the post of the bed for a while, before lifting her off of it and setting her down at the edge of the bed, propping himself over her and continuing to thrust. She cried out, arching, amazed at the forgotten feeling of them being as physically and emotionally close as they could be, and gripped the sheet so that her knuckles were white.

He grunted her name, biting her neck, panting as he continued. One of her hands found his, and he intertwined their fingers and squeezed it. He covered her with kisses, extremely pleased when she gripped his biceps. Her heart fluttered when she felt them. He was strong, but gentle, and always ready to help and protect her whenever she needed it. How could she have forgotten?

He slowed himself and rested his forehead on her shoulder in attempt to keep himself in check. She wrapped her legs around him and urged him to keep going, and he felt a small smile form on his lips.

He resumed his pace and whispered about how beautiful she was. Her eyes fluttered closed in bliss as she felt him thrust particularly deep inside. The hand on his biceps looped around to rest across his shoulders, and she pulled him down to kiss him.

"I-I'm gonna, gonna come, Black Star." She warned him, fighting the close of her eyes. She wanted to see him, see his reactions to every word she said, every way that she reacted to his lovemaking. He groaned; he'd forgotten the rush he got when she told him when she was close to an orgasm.

The rush gave him a boost. He threw his head back with a moan, then buried it in the crane of her neck as he thrust hard and sharp, spilling himself inside of her.

With the intensity of his jabbing thrusts and the feeling of a strange, wet and sticky warmth pooling into her body, she tightened her legs around him as she came as well, her vaginal muscles seeming to pull him even further into her.

Panting, he settled on his knees and elbows, placing light kisses on her shoulder. He barely registered the caress of her hand on his back, tracing his flexed muscles. He chuckled, and so did she. When their eyes locked, their laughter grew, then shifted into whimpers and weeps.

Rather than having only themselves to hold onto, they clung to each other, basking in the comfort each other could offer.

* * *

"Honey, we should eat something… besides each other." Black Star voiced, hissing in pleasure as she nibbled his nipple. She shook her head, and continued making her way down to his already erect penis.

"I'm not hungry." She pouted, grasping him and stroking him. _Not for food, anyway._ She added silently, smirking as the thought crossed her mind.

"But we should still eat some-thhhing…" He glanced down at her, finding her looking back up at him while sucking at him, hard. He gave a sheepish smile; it was incredibly hot, and he couldn't remember the last time she'd done something like that.

They hadn't left the room all day. Hell, they hadn't left it since yesterday evening, when they'd first started this wild round of lovemaking. The brief thought that they hadn't had sex like this since they first started dating flitted across his mind, but disappeared as she made a 'pop' sound with her mouth as she pulled away from him.

"Oh, fuck, Tsubaki, I-

He was cut off when she kissed him, thrusting her tongue in his mouth. She sucked at his lip and bit it, and he gripped her hips.

"We'll eat something later?" She asked, looking back and forth from one eye to the other. He gave something of a stupefied grin and rolled over on top of her, nodding hastily.

"Yeah. Later." He agreed, spreading her legs quickly and sliding into her.

* * *

He loved watching the water roll down her hair, cascading it down her back. The way her slender fingers clawed at the tile of the shower, and the sultry expressions on her face as he thrust into her. His ears tickled with each moan, and the way her screams of her orgasms etched themselves into his brain when he _really_ got going.

They'd only gotten in the shower because they wanted to wash away the aftermath of their animalistic love-making; but when she rubbed her butt against his groin when he began to knead her breasts with soapy, lavender-scented hands, he was ready to go for what seemed like the third time that day.

If it wasn't in the shower or in their bed, it was in the kitchen, with her either bent over or laying on top of the kitchen table (or countertop, if they couldn't wait to travel the ten-foot distance). The living room, where he'd given himself carpet burn on his knees, and she'd managed to get carpet burn on the tops of her feet (they'd laughed for a good half hour about this). Even in the hallway, where he'd lifted her up and pinned her against the wall, accidentally knocking down a painting they'd framed years ago (it was a wedding gift, so they weren't too bothered about it). They'd even made love outside in the garden, warmed by the midsummer heat, not caring what the neighbors heard (also, learning that grass itches the ball sack and/or nipples like crazy). Black Star wondered if Tsubaki _wanted_ the cops called on them for a "noise complaint".

Maka and Soul, Stein and Marie, and Kidd and his wives had called on various occasions, only to be redirected to the answering machine that had a new personalized message: "We're not dead, we're just fucking each other's brains out", in Black Star's voice. Each group only left one message (or in Kidd's case, not at all) and none had called again.

His favorite sight to behold? Her, on top of him, watching her breasts bounce and head turning from side to side as she'd rock her hips on him. By the light of the morning, midday, or evening sun, or by the light of the moon, he wasn't sure which view he preferred. He wasn't sure if it even _mattered_.

He _did_ know that he never wanted to go this long without paying any attention to his wife ever again.

* * *

 _Hehe... Please review. Curious to know what you thought._


End file.
